cheesecake
12-14-2001, 12:38 PM
Someone suggested that Dr. Young should post this on the Fundraising Forum. I have gone ahead and copied the info. What better way to invest our $$$ than with a lab that has solid research and has been investing in the community for years!
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DA, the money goes into the SCI Project which is used 100% for spinal cord injury research. I have not yet decided which project the money will be used to support. It will probably be spent on one or more of the following therapy projects that are going on in the lab.
• Therapeutic vaccine. We are currently testing the therapeutic vaccine that Sam David and Lisa McKerracher showed was promising in murine (mouse) spinal cord injury. We are collaborating with them.
• L1. We are continuing to assess L1; our results so far suggests that the human L1 does not work on rats (this has been a blow) but we believe that the mouse L1 works on rats and will continue to gather the data needed to get human L1 into clinical trial.
• OEG. We are continuing to assess olfactory ensheathing glial cells where our results suggest that they do not improve recovery in the contusion model but think that we have found out why (the transplanted cells are dying due to some toxic chemical that is being produced at the injury site). Our results fit with the results that are being reported by Bregman suggesting that delayed OEG transplants are better because the cells survive better when transplanted late and away from the injury site.
• Preventing epidural and subdural scarring in the injured spinal cord. Our chronic transplantation experiments were hung up because we encountered so much scarring at the injury site that re-exposing the spinal cord was damaging the cord. We just spent the past six months solving that problem by using biomaterials to prevent the scarring.
• RAGs. Determining the genes that are responsible for regeneration in the spinal cord (the so-called regeneration associated genes). Specifically, we are looking for gene markers of regeneration associated with the various therapies. We are working with Marie Filbin, Michal Schwartz, and others to see if the regenerative therapies they are using are associated with expression of specific genes.
• Inosine. We are working closely with Larry Benowitz to assess the effects of inosine on regeneration in the spinal cord. Specifically, we are comparing two different routes of administering the inosine (intrathecal vs. intraventricular).
• Stem cells. We are preparing fetal stem cell lines that we are implanting into the spinal cord and muscle, as well as intravascularly. We are also studying radial glial cells that are likely to be the neural stem cells.
• Activated macrophages. We are assessing the effects of macrophages activated in several different ways and implanted into the spinal cord.
• Neuroprotective therapies. We are studying a variety of neuroprotective therapies, including ginsenosides, glutamine synthetase, novel antioxidants, kinase inhibitors, acetaminophen, minocycline, and others.
There are many other therapies that I would really like to work on but we don't currently have the resources or the people to do so. This includes assessing combinations of cell transplants with L1, inosine, rollipram, L1, neurotrophins, AIT-082, etc.
Wise.
[This message was edited by Wise Young on December 14, 2001 at 03:14 AM.]
__________________________________________________
DA, the money goes into the SCI Project which is used 100% for spinal cord injury research. I have not yet decided which project the money will be used to support. It will probably be spent on one or more of the following therapy projects that are going on in the lab.
• Therapeutic vaccine. We are currently testing the therapeutic vaccine that Sam David and Lisa McKerracher showed was promising in murine (mouse) spinal cord injury. We are collaborating with them.
• L1. We are continuing to assess L1; our results so far suggests that the human L1 does not work on rats (this has been a blow) but we believe that the mouse L1 works on rats and will continue to gather the data needed to get human L1 into clinical trial.
• OEG. We are continuing to assess olfactory ensheathing glial cells where our results suggest that they do not improve recovery in the contusion model but think that we have found out why (the transplanted cells are dying due to some toxic chemical that is being produced at the injury site). Our results fit with the results that are being reported by Bregman suggesting that delayed OEG transplants are better because the cells survive better when transplanted late and away from the injury site.
• Preventing epidural and subdural scarring in the injured spinal cord. Our chronic transplantation experiments were hung up because we encountered so much scarring at the injury site that re-exposing the spinal cord was damaging the cord. We just spent the past six months solving that problem by using biomaterials to prevent the scarring.
• RAGs. Determining the genes that are responsible for regeneration in the spinal cord (the so-called regeneration associated genes). Specifically, we are looking for gene markers of regeneration associated with the various therapies. We are working with Marie Filbin, Michal Schwartz, and others to see if the regenerative therapies they are using are associated with expression of specific genes.
• Inosine. We are working closely with Larry Benowitz to assess the effects of inosine on regeneration in the spinal cord. Specifically, we are comparing two different routes of administering the inosine (intrathecal vs. intraventricular).
• Stem cells. We are preparing fetal stem cell lines that we are implanting into the spinal cord and muscle, as well as intravascularly. We are also studying radial glial cells that are likely to be the neural stem cells.
• Activated macrophages. We are assessing the effects of macrophages activated in several different ways and implanted into the spinal cord.
• Neuroprotective therapies. We are studying a variety of neuroprotective therapies, including ginsenosides, glutamine synthetase, novel antioxidants, kinase inhibitors, acetaminophen, minocycline, and others.
There are many other therapies that I would really like to work on but we don't currently have the resources or the people to do so. This includes assessing combinations of cell transplants with L1, inosine, rollipram, L1, neurotrophins, AIT-082, etc.
Wise.
[This message was edited by Wise Young on December 14, 2001 at 03:14 AM.]