We are interested in understanding exactly what steps occur when cells of the central nervous system (CNS) change from normal to an abnormal, or diseased, state. Our most common motivation is understanding the changes that occur after traumatic brain injury, where the progressive loss of cellular function over time creates enormous problems in patients. These complications range from long term memory loss to a much higher risk for developing early onset neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's or Alzheimers' disease. Most of the current lab work has broader impact, though, because we are uncovering new molecular changes that occur during development, growth, and during normal signal transmission in the brain.
Our lab uses cellular and molecular engineering tools to understand disorders of the nervous system. We first study how cells of the nervous system function under normal conditions. Next, we use this knowledge to determine the reasons why cells adapt an abnormal 'behavior', or phenotype, in the early stages of a neurological disorder. Similarly, we use the same approach to uncover the unique steps initiated by neurons and astrocytes as they undergo repair or, in some conditions, are induced to regenerate. We are particularly interested in changes within individual cells, rather than changes across whole multi-cellular networks, because changes in a small number of cells lie at the origin of many CNS disorders. Successful treatment of diseases and disorders of the nervous system will ultimately be based on stemming the very early changes that occur in a small number of cells within the CNS, before the disease grows considerably to encompass a much larger area within the brain or spinal cord.
Historically, our work is rooted in the fields of neuroscience and biomedical engineering. In the past decade, this blend of fields has generated a new area within the field of bioengineering named neuroengineering, or neural engineering. As a field, neural engineering uses a systems-based approach to understand how large populations of neurons together contribute to the overall electrical behavior measured in EEGs or visual evoked potentials, while others are using these models to understand basic phenomenon such as the storage of memories in the brain. There is a technical application side to the field of neural engineering, such as using signals from biological system to control inanimate instruments (typically robotic arms), or designing VLSI chips to mimic the processing that occurs in specific regions of the nervous system.
With molecular neuroengineering, we are progressing to the next level. We use biological and computational tools to uncover the fundamental principles that drive change within individual cells of the nervous system, changes that are ultimately expressed at the multi-cell and whole organ scale. The links below provide some historical perspective, as well as descriptions of current projects in the lab.