neuroscience research
To accelerate the pace of research on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, the School of Medicine has launched an interdepartmental program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair (CNNR).
Heading the new program will be co-directors Dr. Pietro De Camilli, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Cell Biology, and Dr. Stephen Strittmatter, the Vincent Coates Professor of Neurology. They will recruit as many as seven new scientists in a variety of disciplines to join them at CNNR and create a core to interconnect the more than 100 neuroscientists who now work across the Yale campus.
Yale has a long tradition of excellence in the neurosciences through the Departments of Neurobiology, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Pharmacology, Cell Biology, Psychiatry, Neurosurgery, Neurology and the Child Study Center, among others.
The CNNR is designed to foster cutting-edge basic research on cellular and molecular neuroscience and research into neurodegeneration and repair. Its goal is to produce rapid translation of scientific insights into practical therapeutic strategies to prevent or delay neuronal loss, as well as therapies for neural repair and restoration of function.
"I am very excited about this new neuroscience initiative addressing the basic mechanisms of brain function together with a number of devastating neurological diseases," says Medical School Dean Dr. Robert Alpern. "The success of the program is ensured by the extraordinary quality of its two leaders, both of whom have performed groundbreaking research in this arena."
De Camilli's pioneering work on synaptic vesicles, the cellular packets that deliver neurotransmitters into the junction between nerve cells, is bringing new understanding of normal brain functions. It is also giving insight into the mechanisms of diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's, a polyglutamine-expansion disease.
De Camilli says this new program at Yale will foster research on molecular and cellular aspects of nervous system function in health and disease. The priority at Yale will be to develop the field of neurodegenerative diseases due to genetic abnormalities and aging as well as various environmental influences.
"The creation of a program focused both on the cell biology of the nervous system and on its diseases recognizes that innovative research on pathogenic mechanisms can best thrive in an environment where basic science research is very strong," says De Camilli. "I am delighted to start this new initiative with Dr. Steve Strittmatter, who has already been very successful in bridging fundamental neuroscience with clinically important issues. Steve and I are looking forward to developing this new program in close coordination with existing departments, the Department of Neurobiology in particular."
Strittmatter identified Nogo, a protein that blocks the regeneration of axons. Research on this important regulator has opened promising new avenues for therapies to repair the adult nervous system after injury and has given new hope to those who suffer from spinal cord injuries, stroke and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis.
"Establishing a hub for cellular and molecular studies in neuroscience with interdisciplinary and interdepartmental connection holds great promise for many major research advances by Yale neuroscience," says Strittmatter.
"I am convinced that this program will illuminate our understanding of how nerve cells function and communicate in the brain, especially as they relate to the development of novel therapeutic approaches to neurodegenerative diseases such as neural repair," he notes.
Dr. Pasko Rakic, the Dorys McConnell Duberg Professor of Neuroscience and chair of the Department of Neurobiology, says the decision to focus on neurodegeneration, neural repair and the neuronal basis of cognitive function and dysfunction was the result of the many meetings and deliberations of the Dean's Strategic Planning Committee.
"Research on neurodegeneration and brain repair is one of the most difficult and most noble goals of neuroscience," Rakic says. "Modern research methods will allow new advances. We are all excited about the prospect of entering this important and fast growing area of biomedical research."
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