Research Programs

Neuroregeneration Program

The Neuroregeneration Program will develop approaches to address damage and dysfunction that cannot be prevented. Neuroregenerative approaches will include stimulation of the repair capacity of endogenous neural stem and progenitor cell populations, tissue modifications to reduce environmental factors that inhibit repair, and transplantation paradigms using exogenous stem cell populations.

Neuroregeneration Program Primary Goals:

The Neuroregeneration Program will address TBI repair using three overall approaches:

• Stimulation of endogenous neural stem-progenitor (NS-P) cell regeneration
• Transplantation of exogenous stem cell populations to promote regeneration
• Modification of features of the lesion environment that inhibit repair

Critical Issues for the Neuroregeneration Program:

• New neurons are generated throughout adulthood from several populations of progenitor cells, but these cells normally only make certain types of neurons.
• Environmental signals and immune responses may limit the numbers and types of neurons generated in the adult brain.
• The most significant benefit to cell transplantation in the nervous system has not been replacement of lost neurons and glia but rather modulation of the lesion environment and/or the immune response to promote regenerative responses from the immature endogenous cells.

Neuroregeneration Program Projects and Pilots

Click here to download project and pilots abstracts