A group of researchers at Rice University in Texas are learning how to help the brain heal from serious injuries. Brain cells, called neurons, connect with each other through chemical and electrical signals. They form networks. They use proteins to grow. The researchers want to find out if they can direct the growth of neurons and help them form these important links. If the researchers can understand this process, they think they will be able to help people who have suffered brain injuries stimulate new nerve tissue. Amina Qutub is a bioengineer who studies the brain. She studies what happens when a person’s brain does not receive enough oxygen. When the brain lacks oxygen, it is having a stroke. Qutub says scientists used to think brain cells were “static.” That means everyone was born with a limited number of brain cells, and the number of those cells could never increase. “But a lot of new research shows we’re able to regenerate nerve cells,” she says. Qutub works with an electrical engineer and a biologist on the research team. The goal is to learn how to repair parts of the brain that are damaged in a stroke.