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MAILMAN RESEARCH CENTER

Major Summit Places McLean Hospital and Dalhousie University at Forefront of Stem Cell Research and New Clinical Trials

Center for Neuroregeneration Research / Neuroregeneration Laboratories

PBS Producer Dave Iverson visits the Center for Neuroregeneration Research at McLean Hospital. To learn more about stem cells, click on "Have You Ever Seen a Stem Cell?"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/parkinsons/video.html

"In neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, selective loss of some 500,000 cells in critical brain regions can lead to devastating symptoms," writes Dr. Ole Isacson, Director of the Neuroregeneration Laboratory at McLean.

Neuroregeneration Laboratories Staff

The Neuroregeneration Laboratories Staff (click to enlarge)

Our understanding of regeneration and plasticity in the mammalian nervous system has developed greatly through basic research following implantation of fetal stem or genetically engineered cells into the adult brain. While the adult brain previously was thought of as a non-regenerative system for pathway formation, recent studies show how dissociated primordial neurons and stem cells implanted into the adult central nervous system can grow to reconnect neuronal pathways and integrate in a molecular and physiological fashion.

Neurodegenerative diseases have very few effective treatments, which is why the laboratory's research team is working towards a new understanding of these diseases by studying the regenerative properties of stem cells.

Recent Updates

Transplanted cholinergic neurons create new connections in damaged hippocampus

Transplanted cholinergic neurons create new connections in damaged hippocampus

Scientists in the Neuroregeneration Laboratory have found that neurons transplanted into the brain of a patient with Huntington's disease survived for 18 months following that placement. Remarkably, the transplanted cells appeared to be unharmed by the ongoing disease-related cellular destruction surrounding the site. This result is an important confirmation that neurotransplantation offers promising avenues of treatment for neurodegenerative diseases.

Official Website

This lab has its own website here.

Personnel