Our work focuses on prion diseases, which are fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by the misfolding of the prion protein in the brain. Few studies have focused on the impact of glial cells on neuronal death. We want to understand if halting inflammation caused by glial cells can be a therapeutic approach.
There has been a recent discovery in the mesenchymal stromal cell field, revealing that the protective properties stem from the extracellular vesicles they release. We aim to delve deeper into the contents of these vesicles and understand how they provide protection against prion-induced glial inflammation. Currently in the field of neurodegeneration, there are a few avenues that are successful at halting neuroinflammation.
These include small molecules and genetic modulation using adeno or lentiviruses. However, none have been able to fully reduce inflammation, specifically in large areas of the brain. The most significant finding that we have been able to establish is that through cell therapy, we are able to slow prion-disease progression through inhibition of glial inflammation.
The use of a combined with the primary glial-cell model of disease will allow us to continue to ask about cellular stress pathways important in neuroprotection, in a more efficient and direct matter than the use of solely in-vivo models.
