Matthew McDermott (2010-2017)
Matthew McDermott
Ph.D. student
Biomedical Engineering
m.mcdermott1984@ufl.edu
Drug delivery, and brain-machine interfaces
[expand title=”Read more”] Matthew completed his B.S. in Chemistry at Purdue University in 2007, while also receiving a minor in Biology. He worked for two years at Akina Inc. where he developed homologous PLGA micro and nano particles for the use in sustained release drug therapies. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University, in the Biological Sciences Doctoral Track through the Biomedical Engineering Department. He joined the NPR Lab in the fall of 2010 researching polymer coatings and drug delivery across the brain machine interface.
Research Abstract:
After implantation of microelectrode arrays (MEAs) into the brain, the foreign body response (FBR) is activated, ultimately leading to microglial activation, astrocyte migration, and inflammation. This response is expected to have an effect upon device performance, decreasing signal to noise and increasing impedance. Research in the field has been conducted to mitigate this response, either by drug delivery or altering the MEA brain interface. For these methods to work, drug release must be controlled, without “burst release”, and the coating must not drastically increase the device footprint. Tetramethyl orthosilicate shows promise in that regard. Deposition of TMOS does not negatively MEA performance1,2 and has been shown capable of controlled release2. However, the functionality of this polymer to mitigate the FBR depends on the ability to tune drug delivery without increasing the device footprint. In this study, novel coating paradigms were used to ascertain the ability of TMOS for tunable delivery, and the effect of these multiple coatings upon device footprint.
