Dr. Krencik’s specific research goals are to uncover the mechanisms by which human astrocytes modulate neuronal activity during healthy and diseased states.
Stem Cells
Seminar – Timothy LaVaute, PhD – Topic: NIH Somatic Cell Genome Editing Program
Dr. LaVaute oversees the NINDS P30 Neuroscience Cores Grant Program, is the NINDS point of contact for the NIH’s Regenerative Medicine Innovation Project, and the NIH Common Fund’s Somatic Cell Genome Editing Program.
Seminar – Xue-jun Li, PhD – “Uncovering the Mechanisms of Motor Neuron Development and Degeneration Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells”
Dr. Li’s research includes combining cellular, molecular, bioengineering and system approaches, research in her lab aims to understand the pathogenic mechanisms underlying motor neuron and axonal degeneration, and to develop therapeutics for the treatment of these debilitating diseases.
New Machine Learning Tool Helps Researchers Demonstrate Effectiveness of Stem Cell Based Models
Today, many researchers are using brain organoids – miniaturized and simplified versions of organs produced in a dish typically from stem cells – as analogs for studying the development of the human brain.
Timothy M. Gomez, PhD – Slide of the Week
Photoreceptors (PRs) are the primary visual sensory cells, and their loss leads to blindness that is currently incurable. Although cell replacement therapy holds promise, success is hindered by our limited understanding of PR axon growth during development and regeneration.
Masatoshi Suzuki, DVM, PhD – Slide of the Week
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neuromuscular disease in which patients gradually become paralyzed due to loss of motor function. Many genetically inheritable mutations have been linked to ALS; however, the majority of ALS patients are considered sporadic.
Pioneering research brings potential Parkinson’s disease treatment one step closer
Over two decades of fundamental research in Parkinson’s disease led by Su-Chun Zhang, MD, PhD, professor of neuroscience and neurology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Waisman investigator, has culminated in the development of a promising stem cell-based treatment for the disease.
A science trailblazer retires: Stem cell researcher James Thomson’s legacy changed the future of biology
James Thomson helped the scientific world turn its attention to the shape-shifting stem cells that give rise to all of the building blocks of complex living organisms, from skin and bone, to hearts and blood, to neurons and brains.
David Gamm, MD, PhD – Slide of the Week
Polymeric scaffolds are revolutionizing therapeutics for blinding disorders affecting the outer retina, a region anatomically and functionally defined by light-sensitive photoreceptors. Recent engineering advances have produced planar scaffolds optimized for retinal pigment epithelium monolayer delivery, which are being tested in early stage clinical trials.
Stem cells can repair Parkinson’s-damaged circuits in mouse brains
The mature brain is infamously bad at repairing itself following damage like that caused by trauma or strokes, or from degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. Stem cells, which are endlessly adaptable, have offered the promise of better neural repair. But the brain’s precisely tuned complexity has stymied the development of clinical treatments.