The Live Wire

PhD studentships

Three new Nathalie Rose Barr PhD studentships (2007)

Ms Juan Luo – supervised by Dr Y Zhang and Dr X Bo at Bart’s and the London School of Medicine – is working to improve the effectiveness of Schwann cell transplants. Injected Schwann cells fill the injury site creating an environment for injured nerve fibres to grow into. Unfortunately, few re-growing fibres grow beyond the Schwann cell graft into the spinal cord below the injury. However, Ms Luo is genetically modifying Schwann cells so that they move away from the injection site, spreading through the spinal cord and creating ‘pathways’ that re-growing nerve fibres follow.

In studies supervised by Dr Elizabeth Bradbury at Kings College London, Lucy Carter is investigating whether the enzyme chondroitinase does more than neutralise the growth inhibitory molecules in scar tissue. Lucy already has evidence that starting treatment immediately after injury protects nerve cells in the brain. It is likely that this ‘neuroprotective’ effect, which reduces the number of nerve cells that die following injury, adds to the beneficial effects of chondroitinase.

The likelihood that simultaneously overcoming two or more of the factors that contribute to the lack of re-growth should improve recovery lies behind the third Nathalie Rose Barr studentship. This project also uses gene therapy, this time in nerve fibres. Supervised by Professor Ann Logan (University of Birmingham), Steven Jacques will use gene therapy to (1) stop nerves producing inhibiting proteins that block neighbouring nerves from re-growing and (2) boost the production of growth factors that stimulate nerve fibre growth.

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