Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Regional Partnership Program - Newfoundland and Labrador

The discovery of stem cells in the adult brain has generated hope for a future where brain regeneration can occur. Recent studies have enhanced this excitement by showing that stem cells in the brain respond to an injury by producing new cells in an attempt to replace those lost or damaged. This exciting news is tempered by the low numbers of stems cells in the adult brain and these numbers become even smaller with increasing age. Unfortunately, the low numbers of stem cells in the adult brain is compounded by the poor survival rate of newborn cells within the injury site severely limiting the ability of the brain to repair itself. Transplanting stem cells into the injury site has failed to circumvent these limitations and often results in the death of 80-90% of transplanted cells. Research aimed at promoting the survival of stem cells and newborn cells following a brain injury should therefore greatly enhance neural regeneration in the brain. The goal of my laboratory is to identify the proteins that regulate the survival of stem cells and then manipulate their expression to enhance cell survival in the injured brain. Research from my laboratory has recently shown that Mcl1, a pro-survival protein has dual functions in brain stem cells: to promote stem cell survival and to promote cell differentiation. The goal of this research project is investigate the mechanism by which Mcl1 performs these two distinct functions in brain stem cells. We hope these experiments will identify a novel approach to enhancing cell survival and neural regeneration. Promoting cell survival is the first step in what will need to be a multi-component strategy to promote the generation of new nerve cells to replace those lost due to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases or following acute injuries such as stroke.