George Quintero, PhD

Beginning with his postdoctoral work at the Center for Microelectrode Technology, Dr. George Quintero helped with the development and use of biosensors to understand the neurochemical communication of the brain. The majority of communication in the brain is chemical in nature, but the techniques for enabling those measurements, especially in the complex nature of the nervous system, have been limited. Using electrochemistry coupled to enzyme-based ceramic biosensors, Dr. Quintero was the first to use these biosensors in non-human primates and acute brain slices to measure glutamate function. This methodology is being used throughout the world, and Dr. Quintero has trained dozens of investigators at dozens of universities, research centers, and companies throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. In addition, Dr. Quintero has been part of the Brain Restoration Center (BRC) at the University of Kentucky since it was established. His working relationships with preclinical scientists and clinical groups are critical to the development of the BRC into a center focused on clinical solutions to disorders of the brain. Along with his contributions to clinical trials, he is a co-investigator on a retrospective/prospective study examining the clinical outcome of Deep Brain Stimulation, the principal investigator developing a database of patients who have received DBS at the University of Kentucky, and the study manager for an industry sponsored Phase II study of cell therapy delivery.