QUANTITATIVE LIFE SCIENCES SEMINAR coming up next week - 9 February 2015
Quantitative Life Sciences
qls at ictp.it
Thu Feb 5 13:40:31 CET 2015
Monday, 9 February - 11:00 a.m.
Luigi Stasi Seminar Room,
ICTP Leonardo Building (first floor)
Graciela L. Mazzone
International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA)
National Scientific and Technical Research Council - Argentina (CONICET)
"Experimental spinal cord damage in vitro: From molecular mechanism of
pharmacological neuroprotection to modelling studies"
Abstract
Full understanding of the complex mechanisms that lead to neuronal death
after a spinal cord lesion is important to devise neuroprotective
treatments. Amongst the factors proposed to strongly contribute to
neuronal loss is the substantially raised concentration of extracellular
glutamate, the main excitatory neurotransmitter, evoked by excitotoxic
damage. This process is thought to be linked to the onset of the
secondary injury that can amplify the initial damage to distant areas of
the spinal cord.
At SISSA, Trieste, a model that mimics the early pathological processes
caused by traumatic injury has recently been developed to follow up its
time-dependent evolution. This model allowed us to demonstrate that
excitotoxicity-induced by the glutamate primarily destroyed neurons via
a process slowly developing over a few hours. However, the
neuroprotection strategies with several inhibitors of cell death
pathways have been disappointing in terms of histological and functional
outcome, thus pointing to additional death mechanisms. During my
presentation I will discuss: 1. the main cell targets essential for
locomotor patterns upon this pathological condition; 2. use of
pharmacological drugs to protect against damage; 3. the endogenous
neuroprogenitor cell proliferation induced by a pathological condition;
4. the early biomarkers to follow the progression; 5. importance of cell
death spatio-temporal dynamic map to follow topographical and
topological extension with an impact on locomotor function. 6. The
surprising non-linear relation between neuronal death and locomotor
network output. Using a multidisciplinary approach, new data can be
obtained with high translational value for in vivo or clinical studies
in the spinal cord field, and is a subject that will benefit from
tailor-made modelling with predictive value for further scientific inquiry.
--
Quantitative Life Sciences
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
Trieste, Italy
Tel. +39-040-2240623
e-mail: qls at ictp.it
--
Quantitative Life Sciences
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
Trieste, Italy
Tel. +39-040-2240623
e-mail:qls at ictp.it
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