Presentazioni e Articoli Tecnici

Ectopeptidases are commonly accepted to be a means of clearing active peptides. However, studies have shown that they can also regulate peptide activity. We have developed a technique of electrokinetic push-pull perfusion (Ek-PPP, Figure 1) to examine this largely unexplored mechanism of modulation of peptide function. We push the neuropeptide galanin through organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs), an ex vivo model of neonatal ischemia, and perform quantitative and qualitative analyses. However, there are variables we cannot experimentally measure in our studies. These include the power dissipation in the tissue, the concentration profile, the residence time distribution of galanin in tissue, and the spatial resolution of the sampling method. We thus require COMSOL to determine these variables.