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CRN: Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine

2026 News

Researchers unlock new level of precision in supramolecular materials

October 1, 2026
CRN scientists have developed remarkably long, precisely patterned molecular threads that could open new possibilities for designing advanced materials. The scientists also discovered these threads — called supramolecular polymers — can dramatically enhance brain cell activity.
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Designing supramolecular therapies to cross the blood-brain barrier

August 21, 2026
A new CRN study has uncovered key molecular design principles that could help supramolecular therapeutics cross the blood-brain barrier, a major challenge for the novel approach to treating neurological disorders. 
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Paralysis treatment heals lab-grown human spinal cord organoids

February 11, 2026

Northwestern University scientists led by CRN director Samuel Stupp have developed the most advanced organoid model for human spinal cord injury to date. In a new study, the research team used lab-grown human spinal cord organoids — miniature organs derived from stem cells — to model different types of spinal cord injuries and test a promising new regenerative therapy.

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The CEM Multipep 2 Parallel Peptide Synthesizer

New instrument provides high-throughput peptide synthesis

February 10, 2026
CRN’s Peptide Synthesis Core recently installed the CEM Multipep 2 Parallel Peptide Synthesizer, allowing the facility to offer three new high-throughput service lines: peptide library synthesis, peptide array synthesis, and parallel small-scale peptide synthesis.
John Potocsnak and Samuel Stupp posing in a research laboratory

Stupp, Potocsnak united in effort to cure paralysis

January 13, 2026
With support from John Potocsnak and his family, CRN director Samuel Stupp has made significant progress over the last four years in advancing an innovative therapy for spinal cord injury.

Post-stroke injection protects the brain in preclinical study

January 8, 2026
A CRN research team led by Ayush Batra and Samuel Stupp published a study describing an injectable therapy that protects the brain after ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke. In a mouse model, the therapy successfully crossed the blood-brain barrier and significantly reduced brain damage.
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