Olfactory Ensheathing Cells: A Major Contributor To Axon Guidance?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$575,749.00
Summary
The olfactory (smell) system is a unique part of the nervous system because nerve cells are generated throughout life. Understanding how the olfactory system grows and regenerates may lead to therapeutic approaches to repair other regions of the nervous system. This project will use high resolution digital time-lapse imaging of living nerve cells and the specialised cells called olfactory ensheathing cells to determine how the behaviour of these cells can be manipulated to improve regeneration.
TRAFFICKING OF METABOLITES BETWEEN M LLER CELLS AND NEURONS IN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$211,320.00
Summary
Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the working population. In some diabetics, blood vessels within the retina proliferate, haemorrhage or cause retinal detachment. The underlying changes within the retina that lead to the proliferation of blood vessels are not well understood. One of the factors that leads to changes in retinal blood vessels is an incease in growth factors from cells in the retina called Muller cells. Muller cells are vital for the normal function of the retina, and a ....Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the working population. In some diabetics, blood vessels within the retina proliferate, haemorrhage or cause retinal detachment. The underlying changes within the retina that lead to the proliferation of blood vessels are not well understood. One of the factors that leads to changes in retinal blood vessels is an incease in growth factors from cells in the retina called Muller cells. Muller cells are vital for the normal function of the retina, and are known to be abnromal late in diabetes. They may also be dysfunctional early in diabetes and could play a significant role in the early chnages seen in diabetes. Therefore a good understanding of how Muller cells change and the time at which they change is vitally important to gain a better undetrstanding of the defects that are associated with diabetes. Furthermore, an understanding of the basic underlying cellular changes that occur in diabetes will aid the development of more specific therapeutic agents in the future.Read moreRead less
Defining The Role Of EphA5 In Olfactory Axon Growth, Guidance And Fasciculation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$256,320.00
Summary
The olfactory (smell) system is a unique part of the nervous system; nerve cells are generated throughout life and it can regenerate even after injury. It therefore provides an excellent model for examining the growth, development and maintenance of nerve cells. This project will examine the effects on the organisation of the olfactory system when some guidance signals are altered. Information we obtain about how this system develops and regenerates may be useful in treating brain disorders and ....The olfactory (smell) system is a unique part of the nervous system; nerve cells are generated throughout life and it can regenerate even after injury. It therefore provides an excellent model for examining the growth, development and maintenance of nerve cells. This project will examine the effects on the organisation of the olfactory system when some guidance signals are altered. Information we obtain about how this system develops and regenerates may be useful in treating brain disorders and spinal injuries In the current project we will examine the effects of specific nerve cell guidance molecules by generating transgenic mice that produce these molecules only in the olfactory system. We can then determine what changes occur to the nerve cells when these extra molecules are produced. In addition, we will also examine the behaviour of live cells as they are growing. In the past all attempts to understand how nerve cell connections are formed in the olfactory system have used dead tissue that has been permanently preserved. In this project we have the unique opportunity to visualise living nerve cells to enable us to determine how the cells react to the guidance signals. The advantage of this approach is that it allows us to identify important interactions as they occur, rather than attempting to decipher them after they have occurred. An analogy would be watching a football game live and observing how goals were scored and appreciating the performance of individual players versus trying to guess from the final score how the game was played and who the key performers were. The results of these experiments will provide important information on the regeneration of olfactory nerve cells, as well as on the initial growth and targeting of these nerve cells.Read moreRead less