A5065722411- Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Nerve injury and regeneration
- Spinal Cord Injury Research
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Organ and Tissue Transplantation Research
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Mesenchymal stem cell research
- Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
- Neurogenetic and Muscular Disorders Research
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Spinal Dysraphism and Malformations
University of British Columbia
2006-2020
International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries
2007-2020
University of Calgary
2017-2020
Queen's University
2006
University of Toronto
2006
Transplantation of exogenous cells is one approach to spinal cord repair that could potentially enhance the growth and myelination endogenous axons. Here, we asked whether skin-derived precursors (SKPs), a neural crest-like precursor can be isolated expanded from mammalian skin, used injured rat cord. To ask this question, genetically tagged murine SKPs either transplanted them directly into contused or differentiated Schwann (SCs), performed similar transplantations with isolated,...
Given the rising availability and use of genetically modified animals in basic science research, it has become increasingly important to develop clinically relevant models for spinal cord injury (SCI) mice. We developed a graded forceps crush model SCI mice that uses three different with spacers 0.25, 0.4, 0.55 mm, produce severe, moderate, mild injuries, respectively. Briefly, each mouse was subjected laminectomy T5-T7, 15-second using one those forceps, behavioral assessments, post-mortem...
Myelin loss is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) and promoting central nervous system myelin repair has become major therapeutic target. Despite the presence oligodendrocytes precursors cells (OPCs) in chronic lesions MS, remyelination often fails. The mechanism underlying this failure remains unknown, but it hypothesized that environmental cues act to inhibit maturation/differentiation oligodendroglia, preventing remyelination. rate CNS correlated speed phagocytosis debris, which...
The transplantation of Schwann cells (SCs) holds considerable promise as a therapy for spinal cord injury, but the optimal source these and best timing intervention remains debatable. Previously, we demonstrated that delayed SCs generated from neonatal mouse skin-derived precursors (SKP-SCs) promoted repair functional recovery in rats with thoracic contusions. Here, conducted two experiments using rat an incomplete cervical injury model to examine efficacy acute SKP-SC versus media control...
As an extension of the brain, spinal cord has unique properties which could allow us to gain a better understanding CNS pathology. The brain and share same cellular components, yet latter is simpler in cytoarchitecture connectivity. In Alzheimer's research, virtually all focus on pathology, however it been shown that transgenic mouse models accumulate beta amyloid plaques cord, suggesting possesses molecular machinery conditions for plaque formation. Here we report spatial-temporal map load...
Cell transplantation for spinal cord injury (SCI) has largely been studied in sub-acute settings within 1–2 weeks of injury. In contrast, here we transplanted skin-derived precursors differentiated into Schwann cells (SKP-SCs) the contused rat 8 post-injury (wpi). Twenty-one later (29 wpi), SKP-SCs were found to have survived transplantation, integrated with host tissue, and mitigated formation a dense glial scar. Furthermore, filled much lesion sites greatly enhanced presence endogenous...
Abstract Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in substantial oligodendrocyte death and subsequent demyelination leading to white‐matter defects. Cell replacement strategies promote remyelination are under intense investigation; however, the optimal cell for transplantation remains be determined. We previously isolated a platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF)‐responsive neural precursor (PRP) from ventral forebrain of fetal mice that primarily generates oligodendrocytes, but also astrocytes...
We have previously described a skin-derived precursor (SKPs) exhibiting gene expression profile and differentiation potential characteristic of neural crest stem cells. In vitro, SKPs generate both mesodermal cell types we recently demonstrated that their progeny are functional in vivo, such SKP-derived Schwann cells (SKP-SCs) associate with axons compact myelin. Here, asked whether postnatal from the skin (newborn mouse human skin) were capable remyelination repair adult rat spinal cord...