Rejuvenating Ageing CNS Stem Cells by Partial Reprogramming

The regenerative biology of adult CNS stem cells. In my laboratory our main area of research is aimed at understanding how adult CNS stem cells respond to injury and contribute to regeneration, chiefly the regeneration of new myelin sheaths – or remyelination (and area in which we are considered world leaders). Our lab is primarily a cell biology laboratory, pursing the underlying mechanisms on which future developments in therapy are based. Many of the projects are undertaken in collaboration with my colleague Dr. Chao Zhao.

Therapeutic enhancement of remyelination is likely to be a highly effective means of preventing much of the axon loss that underpins the progressive phase of MS. Remyelination efficiency declines with ageing. This means that the need for remyelination therapies increases with disease progression. It may also imply that adult OPCs, the cells primarily responsible for remyelination, become refractory to such therapies with increasing age. We have generated data from ageing OPCs showing that this is indeed the case. Thus, in order to make endogenous adult OPCs in the ageing CNS more responsive to remyelination-enhancing therapies it may be necessary for them to be rejuvenated. New and exciting evidence shows that partial reprogramming can rejuvenate ageing cells and improve regeneration of ageing pancreas and skeletal muscle (Ocampo et al ., Cell 2016). In this project will be apply this approach to the problem of ageing adult OPCs and the age-associated decline in remyelination efficiency. The project is designed to be achievable by a committed PhD student.