专家简介

Research Focus The long-term goal of our research is to understand the molecular and genetic mechanisms that control the differentiation and regeneration of motor neurons and oligodendrocytes, and develop novel molecular strategies for stimulating the de novo regeneration of motor neurons and oligodendrocytes in the injured spinal cord. We study the molecular and genetic mechanisms that control the specification and differentiation of motor neurons and oligodendrocytes for two reasons. First, they are derived from the same neural progenitor cells in the spinal cord but during different time windows. Thus, a similar set of genes may be involved in the development of these two distinct cell types. Second, motor neurons and oligodendrocytes are functionally important and related as they directly control our body movement, and yet they are particularly susceptible to both genetic and environmental insults, as evidenced by the selective degeneration of motor neurons in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or of oligodendrocytes in multiple sclerosis (MS). In spinal cord injury patients, degeneration of both motor neurons and oligodendrocytes contributes to impaired body movement and function. Studies on the molecular and genetic control of motor neuron and oligodendrocyte development are necessary for developing molecular and cellular strategies for stimulating the de novo regeneration of both cell types in the diseased or injured spinal tissues.