University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern 2 articles published in JoVE Developmental Biology Thin Film Composite Silicon Elastomers for Cell Culture and Skin Applications: Manufacturing and Characterization Silviya Boyadzhieva*1,2, Sarah C.L. Fischer*1,2, Svenja Lösch1,3, Angela Rutz1, Eduard Arzt1,2, Klaus Kruttwig1 1INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Saarland University, 3University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern A protocol for the manufacturing process of polymeric thin film composite structures possessing either different Young's moduli or thicknesses is presented. Films are produced for advanced cell culture studies or as skin adhesives. Medicine Simulating Pancreatic Neuroplasticity: In Vitro Dual-neuron Plasticity Assay Ihsan Ekin Demir1, Elke Tieftrunk1, Karl-Herbert Schäfer2, Helmut Friess1, Güralp O. Ceyhan1 1Department of Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, 2Department of Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern/Zweibrücken Neuronal plasticity is an increasingly recognized, but insufficiently understood feature of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Here, in the example of human pancreatic disorders, we present an in vitro neuroplasticity assay for the study of neuronal plasticity in the GI tract at both morphological and functional level.