RESEARCH

CULTURED AXONAL INJURY

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is thought to be the most common and important pathology in mild, moderate, and severe traumatic brain injury. In severe cases of DAI, shearing forces can cause primary disconnection of axons.

However, the vast majority of posttraumatic axonal pathologies evolve over time due to a series of deleterious cascades that include activation of proteases, second messengers, and mitochondrial failure. Using a cultured axonal injury (CAI) model we have demonstrated that dynamic mechanical stretch injury of cultured axons replicates many of the morphological and ultrastructural changes found in DAI in vivo. Read more...

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most devastating diseases due to its high percentage of mortality and disability and its claim of over 2 million victims each year in the United States alone. Recent studies have addressed that brain trauma leads to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and induces the acute formation of AD-like plaques containing amyloidal-β (Aβ). However, the novel mechanisms of neurodegenerative processes following brain trauma have yet to be identified. Read more...

EXTREME STRETCH GROWTH

In the United States, tens of thousands of peripheral nerve injuries occur each year, many resulting in the loss of bodily functions and even permanent disability. The gold standard of peripheral nerve repair traditionally relies on a surgical procedure that involves the removal and transplantation of an autograft, a separate, less important length of nerve from the patient.

In some patients the damaged nerve will regenerate, using the autograft as a guide, leading to restoration of lost bodily functions. Read more...

SPINAL CORD TRANSPLANT AND PERIPHERAL NERVE TRANSPLANT

There are an estimated 10,000 patients who suffer spinal cord injury (SCI) each year in the United States and approximately 250,000 chronic SCI patients. Accordingly, there are extensive research efforts to develop techniques that enhance axon growth in the injured spinal cord. A primary goal of these efforts is to promote axon growth across the lesion to integrate with viable tissue on either side and create functional relays.

There have been numerous notable attempts at promoting axon bridges across spinal cord lesions. Some of the previous techniques have been successful in promoting axon sprouting into or around spinal cord lesions in animal models. Read more...