Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological disease causing physical and mental deficits in many Canadians. Much research is underway to understand this disease, and to develop new drugs that may halt or even reverse disease progression. The symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis may be attributed to the loss of function of brain cells, in particular, neurons. Neurons are brain cells which transfer information to other parts of our body. They transfer information by means of tiny wires, making electrical connections with other neurons. Just as electrical wires in our homes require insulation, neuron connections require insulation for proper information transfer. Oligodendrocytes are the cell type which provides insulation for neuron connections. They wrap the connections with an insulating layer of fatty material, allowing efficient communication between neurons. In order for oligodendrocytes to wrap neuron connections effectively, they require certain proteins to be functioning in the cell. It is believed that a family of proteins called the Integrins plays an important role in the wrapping of the neuron connections by oligodendrocytes. Recently, a protein called Integrin-Linked Kinase or ILK has been shown to interact with certain integrins and perhaps influence the development of oligodendrocytes. My project involves growing oligodendrocytes in Petri dishes and using various means to delete the ILK protein in these cells. Then, I look at how these ILK-deficient cells differ in their development when compared to normal oligodendrocytes. I also grow neurons and oligodendrocytes together in Petri dishes, to determine if ILK is important in oligodendrocyte wrapping of neuron connections. My research is not only important for the basic understanding of oligodendrocyte biology, but also highly beneficial to the understanding of Multiple Sclerosis. My research may lead to the identification of new drug targets aimed at treating neurological diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis.