Research Stay at the Seidlits Lab, University of Texas at Austin (USA)
In March 2026, Markus Lorke visited the Seidlits Lab at the University of Texas at Austin (USA) for a research secondment. One of the main goals was to gain experience in culturing different neural stem cells and how to differentiate them, providing an opportunity to establish these same culture conditions in Erlangen under the leadership of Bill Wang, Ph.D., and PhD student Sabrina Pietrosemoli Salazar. Along with this, different pre-treatment methods were introduced before encapsulating the cells in a 3D environment.
Beyond the cell culture work, there were exchanges on ways to modify hyaluronic acid to tailor the mechanical properties necessary for extracellular-matrix-mimicking hydrogels. An important part of the experiments involved characterizing widely used hydrogel compositions within the Collaborative Research Center 1540 “Exploring Brain Mechanics” using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). This work, kindly supported by PhD student Talia Sanazzaro, provided interesting insights into diffusion properties and the connection between pore size and mechanics.
Finally, murine neural stem cells (mNSCs) were encapsulated in different hydrogels to assess viability and responses to material properties, confirming that the established platform is suitable for this cell type. This secondment laid the first brick for future collaborations between FAU, the University of Texas at Austin, and the EBM network, opening new possibilities for combining hydrogel characterization and cell experiments.
Outside of the lab work, the visit was complemented by social activities with lab colleagues, including enjoying Texas BBQ, visiting local bars, and stand-up paddleboarding on the Colorado River.
Markus Lorke, X03
