Megan C. Frost

Research Interests

Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical gas that has been shown to have a wide variety of biological functions, including as a potent inhibitor of platelet adhesion and aggregation (the first steps needed for thrombus formation), as a mediator of the inflammatory response, as an inhibitor of smooth muscle cell proliferation, as a neurotransmitter, as a signaling molecule in wound healing and in the migration and proliferation of cells, to name a few.  The research in our laboratory focuses on understanding the role that nitric oxide (NO) plays in mediating biological response under normal and pathological conditions. We have three main research areas that we use to understand the different aspects of this complex problem. 

1. We develop materials that release NO with highly precise temporal and spatial control and the ability to modulate the level of NO delivered in a continuous manner.

2. We develop novel NO measurement systems that allows direct, continuous, real-time measurement of NO generated from cells grown under standard in vitro cell culture conditions.  

3. We apply these tools to quantitatively describe and understand the role NO dysregulation plays in disease states such as wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers, NO signaling in migration and proliferation of cancer cells, and how NO can inhibit bacterial and viral propagation and proliferation. 

The goals of our research are to apply the appropriate NO release to medical devices such that better physiological function can be restored to cells and tissues and design safer, more efficacious medical devices.