# Glycopolymer Biomaterials for Regulating Adaptive Reprogramming in Glia

> **NIH NIH F31** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · 2024 · $40,886

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Disruption of the central nervous system (CNS) by injury or neural device implantation results in glial cells
deprioritizing neuronal support functions and undergoing an adaptive reprogramming. This adaptive
reprogramming enables the acquisition of new functions by glial cells, allowing them to isolate and protect local,
spared neural tissue. Chronically, isolation of spared neural tissue can be counterproductive, limiting neural
regeneration and device integration. Therefore, it is critical to understand the mechanisms that regulate adaptive
reprogramming and to develop tools to modulate the intensity and duration of the adaptive reprogramming
response. I hypothesize that adaptive glial responses involve coordinated, multicellular, and temporally-
regulated programs that are conserved across injury and foreign body contexts which can be altered by specific
structural, mechanical, and surface chemistry properties of implanted biomaterials. To investigate this
hypothesis, I will develop glycan-derived biomaterials to (1) test the ability of inherently bioactive glycans to
stimulate glia-based repair following stroke, and (2) present unique chemical moieties and mechanical properties
to establish and characterize synthetic glial interfaces. This work will contribute to the development of
biomaterials for the CNS by creating a set of general principles that outline chemical motifs that can be used to
direct glial responses, allowing for enhanced therapeutic outcomes following CNS injury and increased longevity
of implanted neural devices.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10996492
- **Project number:** 1F31NS135944-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS)
- **Principal Investigator:** Eric DuBois
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $40,886
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10996492

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10996492, Glycopolymer Biomaterials for Regulating Adaptive Reprogramming in Glia (1F31NS135944-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10996492. Licensed CC0.

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