- Chief Investigator
- Dr James St John
The repair of central nervous system damage continues to be a major challenge. One of the most promising therapeutic approaches uses the transplantation of glia cells to assist nerve cell regrowth.
In particular, olfactory ensheathing cells are excellent candidates for this therapeutic approach as they are the only glial cell that normally penetrates the transition zone between the peripheral and central nervous systems. This property of the olfactory ensheathing cell probably accounts for the highly regenerative nature of the primary olfactory nerve throughout life.
However, if olfactory ensheathing cell transplant therapy is to be optimised we need to be able to manipulate and control the migration of the cells to ensure that nerve cell regeneration is appropriate.
Our research focuses on understanding the behaviour of olfactory ensheathing cells and determining how their interactions with nerve cells can be manipulated to improve nerve cell growth and targeting. Our principal approach is to use live cell imaging and time-lapse microscopy combined with altering the interactions of potential growth and guidance cues. We generate fluorescent markers and probes to identify key cells and molecules and examine their roles in cell cultures in vitro, in slice cultures and in whole animal models.
If we can improve the way in which olfactory ensheathing cells interact with nerve cells, particularly in damaged brain tissue, then we will be able to design therapies to repair diseased or damaged brain in humans.