Graphene foam as a biocompatible scaffold for culturing human neurons

Authors

Giovanna M. D'Abaco, University of Melbourne
Cristiana Mattei, University of Melbourne
Babak Nasr, University of Melbourne
Emma J. Hudson, University of Melbourne
Abdullah J. Alshawaf, University of Melbourne
Gursharan Chana, University of Melbourne
Ian Everall, University of Melbourne
Bryony A. Nayagam, University of Melbourne, Bionics Institute
Mirella Dottori, University of Melbourne, University of WollongongFollow
Efstratios Skafidas, University of Melbourne

RIS ID

123799

Publication Details

D'Abaco, G. M., Mattei, C., Nasr, B., Hudson, E. J., Alshawaf, A. J., Chana, G., Everall, I. P., Nayagam, B., Dottori, M. & Skafidas, E. (2018). Graphene foam as a biocompatible scaffold for culturing human neurons. Royal Society Open Science, 5 (3), 171364-1-171364-11.

Abstract

In this study, we explore the use of electrically active graphene foam as a scaffold for the culture of human-derived neurons. Human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived cortical neurons fated as either glutamatergic or GABAergic neuronal phenotypes were cultured on graphene foam. We show that graphene foam is biocompatible for the culture of human neurons, capable of supporting cell viability and differentiation of hESC-derived cortical neurons. Based on the findings, we propose that graphene foam represents a suitable scaffold for engineering neuronal tissue and warrants further investigation as a model for understanding neuronal maturation, function and circuit formation.