Pahang, D. E., & Treviño, I., & Alegria, J. B., & McGill, B., & Abu-Lail, N. I., & Sun, G. (2024, March), Characterization of Physiochemical Surface Properties in Neural Cell Fates   Paper presented at 2024 ASEE-GSW, Canyon, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--45367

\bibitem{asee_peer_45367}
  Pahang, D. E., \& Treviño, I., \& Alegria, J. B., \& McGill, B., \& Abu-Lail, N. I., \& Sun, G. (2024, March), \emph{Characterization of Physiochemical Surface Properties in Neural Cell Fates }
  Paper presented at 2024 ASEE-GSW, Canyon, Texas.
  10.18260/1-2--45367

Denise Emily Pahang, Isabella Treviño, Jimena B Alegria, Brooke McGill, Nehal I. Abu-Lail, and Gongchen Sun.  "Characterization of Physiochemical Surface Properties in Neural Cell Fates ".  2024 ASEE-GSW, Canyon, Texas, 2024, March.  ASEE Conferences, 2024.  https://peer.asee.org/45367 Internet.  22 Dec, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_45367}
  Denise Emily Pahang, Isabella Treviño, Jimena B Alegria, Brooke McGill, Nehal I. Abu-Lail, and Gongchen Sun.
  "Characterization of Physiochemical Surface Properties in Neural Cell Fates ".
  \emph{2024 ASEE-GSW, Canyon, Texas, 2024, March}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2024.
  https://peer.asee.org/45367 Internet.  22 Dec, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_45367
author = "Denise Emily Pahang, Isabella Treviño, Jimena B Alegria, Brooke McGill, Nehal I. Abu-Lail, and Gongchen Sun"
title = "Characterization of Physiochemical Surface Properties in Neural Cell Fates "
booktitle = "2024 ASEE-GSW"
year = "2024"
month = "March"
address = "Canyon, Texas"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/45367}
number = {10.18260/1-2--45367}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The characterization and classification of neural stem cells (NSCs) is crucial for disease modeling, drug discovery, and regenerative therapies. Understanding the biophysical properties of NSCs is important to enhance our understanding of cell properties and for advancing their therapeutic applications. Built upon Biomedical Engineering core courses in Biomaterials and Cellular Engineering, this undergraduate research project focuses on the characterization of neural stem cells with two unique physiochemical membrane properties, zeta potential and to quantify differences between live, dead, and differentiated NSC. 

The research approach is to experimentally characterize NSCs using colloidal material characterization techniques. To study the difference between live and dead NSCs, cells from the ReNCell NVM line were cultured in their progenitor stage to a concentration of ~25,000 cells/well using proliferation media. A part of the cells were deprived of oxygen for 5 days to produce dead NSCs. To study the difference between differentiated NSCs, ReNCell were differentiated over a 10-day period. To assess the surface hydrophobicity of NSCs, cells were placed onto a single monolayer for measurement of the contact angle formed by the liquid meniscus with water, diiodo methane, and formamide using a goniometer. The Young–Dupré equation and its derivatives were used to interpret the contact angle measurement, providing insights into the equilibrium interfacial forces on the cell membrane. To assess the surface charge of intact cells, cells were placed into a suspension, and dynamic light scattering technique (DLS) were used on a Zetasizer Nano analyzer to quantify the electrophoretic mobility and zeta potential of each cell type. Following all measurements, immunohistochemistry staining, and fluorescent imaging were conducted to verify the cell type and cell viability. 

There is a clear, quantifiable difference in the hydrophobicity and zeta potential between live and dead neural stem cells. Complex differences between undifferentiated and differentiated neural cells were also observed. These observations suggest that changes in membrane integrity, composition, and surface protein expression occur and influence the surface charge and hydrophobicity of NSCs, providing a potential marker for cell viability and classification. Machine learning tools will be used in the future to categorize the differential potential of NSCs based on their complex surface physiochemical properties. 

This research does not only enhance our understanding of cell properties but also opens new avenues for potential therapeutic medicines. The insights gained from studying the hydrophobic properties and surface potential of NSCs can also be extended to other cell lines and assist in the improvements in live classification and prediction of a cell’s differentiation potential. This project offers a bridge for biomedical engineering undergraduate students to connect knowledge from Cellular Engineering and material characterization techniques from Biomaterials. 
AU  - Denise Emily Pahang
AU  - Isabella Treviño
AU  - Jimena B Alegria
AU  - Brooke McGill
AU  - Nehal I. Abu-Lail
AU  - Gongchen Sun
CY  - Canyon, Texas
DA  - 2024/03/10
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Characterization of Physiochemical Surface Properties in Neural Cell Fates 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/45367
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--45367
ER  -