Adult Stem Cell Research
Professor Mackay-Sim’s team uses adult stem cells as cellular models for neurological diseases and disorders. Stem cells are obtained from people with the disease and are examined to identify cellular pathways altered by these diseases.
Bioinformatics
Dr Christine Wells and Dr Alistair Chalk lead a group making use of the huge volume of genetic sequence data obtained from biological experiments to provide mathematical, computational and statistical insight into fundamental biological processes that regulate adult stem cells.
Cell Biology
Dr Stephen Wood’s laboratory investigates the consequence of neurodegenerative diseases, on the biochemical pathways and the behaviour of adult stem cells, neurons and glia.
Cell Therapies
Dr Adrian Meedeniya and Professor Mackay-Sim lead a group using adult stem cell therapies in animal models of spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease and motor neuron disease.
Clinical Neuroscience
Associate Professor George Mellick’s team investigates genetic and environmental causes of Parkinson’s disease, using adult stem cells as cellular models for testing the effects of environmental toxins on the nervous systems.
Developmental Neurobiology
Dr Asanka Karunaratne’s group is interested in applying knowledge gained from embryonic nervous system development to convert adult stem cells in to functional neurons. These neurons are then used as cellular models of neurodegenerative diseases or for cell replacement therapies in neurological disease models.
Olfactory Ensheathing Biology
Olfactory ensheathing cells are cells from the nose that assist olfactory nerve cell regrowth. When transplanted, these cells are known to assist in the repair of the spinal cord. Dr James St John and his group focus on understanding the behaviour of these cells with the aim of optimizing their therapeutic effectiveness.
Sydney Node
The Sydney Node of the National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research is located at the Royal North Shore Hospital’s Kolling Institute. Here, neurologist and molecular geneticist, Associate Professor Carolyn Sue investigates adult stem cells and their role in Parkinson’s disease and MELAS syndrome – a mitochondrial mutational disorder with debilitating neurological consequences. The Sydney Node also plays a crucial role in recruiting and outreach.
Systems Biology
Dr Christine Wells and her laboratory use the tools provided by mammalian genetics and functional genomics to explore the gene networks and pathways that regulate stem cell biology in health and disease.
Additional information
- Adult Stem Cell Research
- Bioinformatics
- Cell Biology
- Cell Therapies
- Clincal Neuroscience
- Developmental neurobiology
- Olfactory Ensheathing Cell Biology
- Sydney Node
- Systems Biology