WEBINAR—Neuronal Cell Isolation from Rodent Peripheral and Central Nervous Systems

November 5, 2025
11 a.m. EST

Roopa Ravichandar, PhD, and Sam Faraguna of the University of Texas at Austin will share their research on protocols for isolating and culturing neuronal cells. They will discuss how various methods support studies of neuronal excitability during nervous system development. Program highlights will include dissociation and panning protocols of dorsal root ganglion neurons and a demonstration of how retinal ganglion cells within the retina are a powerful model for investigating factors that regulate neuronal electrical properties during eye development. The session will also feature practical guidance on effective isolation techniques using immunopanning to obtain highly purified neuronal cultures. 

Key Learning Objectives:

• Methods to isolate rat-derived dorsal root ganglion cells.
• Optimization of isolating pure retinal ganglion cells from rat-derived retinal tissue.
• Functional applications of using these neuronal cell types to study neuronal excitability.

Speakers

Roopa Ravichandar, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Texas at Austin

Roopa Ravichandar, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neuroscience at The University of Texas at Austin.  Her work examines the interactions between glial cells and neurons during retinal development, using retinal ganglion cells to investigate how glia may influence neuronal excitability throughout maturation. 

Sam Faraguna
Lab Manager, University of Texas at Austin

Sam Faraguna is the lab manager for the Husniye Kantarci Lab at The University of Texas at Austin. He graduated from Duke University with a BS in neuroscience. Faraguna’s research centers around the peripheral nervous system and the downstream cellular mechanisms of prostaglandin E2. 

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