The earlier dogma that the central nervous system (CNS) has a fixed number of neurons that cannot be replaced upon loss or damage has been altered by the recent demonstrations of continuous, ongoing neurogenesis in the subventricular zone and hippocampal dentate gyrus of the adult brain. This process can be stimulated by various factors, including insults such as trauma, ischaemia and autoimmune or degenerative pathologies of the central nervous system. However, it results, most often, in inadequate repair and failure to replace lost or damaged neural cells with residual neurological deficit.
Our objective will be to identify means of enhancing effective and appropriate neural regeneration and understand the mechanisms involved. These will include looking at both endogenous regulators as well as the implant of exogenous stem cells. The multi-pronged approach will include looking into both embryonic and adult stem cell systems.

The initial focus is on:

• Identifying and studying mechanisms of neuritogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells derived from human bone marrow and Wharton’s Jelly.
• Trans-differentiation potential of human bone marrow and Wharton’s Jelly mesenchymal stem cells to neuronal and glial lineage.
• To investigate the mechanism by which embryonic stem cells differentiate into distinct neuronal and glial subtypes.