SBIR Phase I: Integrating Neurobiology and Cell Culture for Careers in Neuroscience

This SBIR Phase I project proposes to provide the required neuroscience and eukaryotic biology resources to usher new content and skill sets for upper level high school and lower level college life science courses. Neuroscience today is an important focus for our society due to the aging population, since it will offer the beginnings of understanding on brain function and disease etiology. Unlike many of the sciences, neuroscience requires understanding eukaryotic biology and contributions beyond the classical life sciences to include aspects of quantitative sciences and engineering. Increasing numbers of jobs in pharmaceutical divisions of major companies require scientists from various disciplines. Likewise many universities are devoting large divisions to neuroscience research. Therefore it is important to expose students early to the necessary building blocks of neuroscience. The proposed neuroscience experiments will include cell culture-based research study of nerve damage, a hands-on animal behavioral study, and a student participation study of neurobiology of human taste. The long-term objective for the company is to manufacture safe robust and affordable classroom neuroscience resources that are linked to eukaryotic cell and molecular biology that will be introduced as comprehensive classroom experiments coupled to teacher professional development workshops and student learning assessment studies. The broader/commercial impact of this SBIR is substantial, since it will advance student learning by exposing a diverse student population to neuroscience. Over the past 15 years basic science has moved to eukaryotic systems with pharmaceutical companies shifting their focus from small molecule medicines to large human proteins that treat neurological disorders, such as interferon for multiple sclerosis, produced in mammalian cells. Likewise, neuroscience has become a focus of graduate school research and is beginning to be offered to college and upper high school students. The company recognizes that introducing eukaryotic cell culture skills in high schools is challenging due to the cost of required laboratory equipment. Since students are provided with prefilled 96-well plates that contain medium and pre-attached cells, the company now has the opportunity to introduce a novel micro-scale cell culture option that minimizes the need for equipment, including expensive cell culture hoods, incubators and cell media.