Abidian, Mohammad Reza2020-01-04May 20192019-05May 2019https://hdl.handle.net/10657/5745Axonal regeneration, particularly that of the neurons found in the Central Nervous System, is of great interest in tissue engineering. Diseases due to damaged nerves found in this system include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and even paralysis. These affect millions of people. One way to achieve axonal regeneration is to use NGF (Nerve Growth Factors) that can guide the 2 ends of the damaged nerve into rejoining and potentially cure diseases that arise from this. The main issue is having a vessel that can produce controlled release of these NGF. One potential solution is to make a core-shell fiber, from the co-axial electro-spinning process, with the NGF incorporated in the core and PLGA (polylactic-co-glycolic-acid) acting as the shell. PLGA is biocompatible and biodegradable, making it suitable for this role. This structure could allow for a more controlled release of NGF and provides a shape that promotes axonal regeneration in the Central Nervous System. Such a structure was made in this paper with PLGA as a shell and BSA (an NGF substitute) present in the core.application/pdfengThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).ElectrospinningEncapsulationBiomolecules2020-01-04Thesisborn digital