Faculty

Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., Center Director

Frank P. Smith Professor of Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy
Professor of Neurology

Research Focus: The basic biology of glial cells in the CNS and the role of astrocytes in several neurological diseases, including stroke, spinal cord injury, epilepsy, tremor, and ALS. Research is aimed at defining new strategies for the treatment of neurological diseases that target astrocytic dysfunction.

Steve Goldman, M.D., Ph.D., Center Director

Edward A. and Alma Vollertsen Rykenboer Professor
Professor of Neurology

Research Focus:
Identify the expression patterns of the major categories of stem and progenitor cells of the adult human brain and to use that information to define the signaling pathways that distinguish one progenitor from another, as well as those that distinguish brain tumor stem and progenitor cells from their normal counterparts.

Robert J. Agate, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurology

Research Focus:

Robert Agate’s work focuses on identifying and characterizing those molecular pathways that serve to link testosterone-induced angiogenesis and neurogenesis. His work focuses on the adult songbird forebrain, a uniquely powerful model for assessing the molecular mechanisms of induced angiogenesis and neurogenesis in the adult vertebrate brain.

Romane Auvergne, Ph.D.

Senior Instructor of Neurology

Research Focus:

Dr. Auvergne studies the genes and signaling pathways dysregulated in glial tumor stem and progenitor cells, with an emphasis on defining what differentiates these cells from the normal progenitors from which they derive. Her goal is to develop pathway-specific, tumor precursor -targeted therapies in glioma.

Abdellatif Benraiss, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Benraiss’ work focuses on the use of gene therapeutic strategies to induce and regulate neurogenesis from endogenous neural stem cells in the adult mammalian brain, with a particular emphasis on developing this as a therapeutic strategy in Huntington's disease.

Rashid Deane, B.Sc., Ph.D.

Research Professor of Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Deane’s research focus will be added soon.

Adilia Hormigo, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Neurology, Neuro-Oncology, and Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Hormigo’s research focus will be added soon.

Yoichi Kondo, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurology

Research Focus:

Dr. Kondo’s research focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of and devising therapeutic approaches for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a severe demyelinating disease caused by JC polyomavirus in certain immunocompromised individuals. He also explores the techniques to control the fate and mitotic potential of myelination competent human glial progenitors, so the cells can myelinate axons effectively upon transplantation.

Nanhong Lou, M.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Lou’s research focuses on the role of gliosis and glial cell signaling in stroke by using in vivo multiphoton imaging and electrophysiological methods. His goal is to develop new approaches for stroke treatment.

Thiyagarajan Meenakshisundaram, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Meenakshisundaram’s research focus will be added soon.

Joana Osorio, M.D.

Research Focus:

Dr. Osorio’s research focus will be added soon.

Weiguo Peng , M.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Research Focus:

Dr. Peng’s research focuses on spinal cord and spinal nerve injury; more specifically the secondary injury after spinal cord trauma and how to improve the recovery of spinal cord injury.

Takahiro Takano, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurology

Research Focus:

Dr. Takano’s work focuses on the mechanism of cerebral blood flow control mediated by astrocytes; mechanism of progression of stroke-induced injury and spinal cord injury, and development of potential therapeutic approach; and mechanism of cortical spreading depression.

Fushun Wang, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Research Focus: Dr. Wang's research focuses on astrocytic regulation of extracellular potassium and its effect on the activities of neurons.

Su Wang, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor of Neurology

Research Focus:

Dr. Wang studies the differentiation of human striatal neural progenitor cells into medium spiny neurons, and the additional changes in their gene expression that accompany their expression of mutant Huntington protein. His goal is to identify targets for intervention in Huntington’s Disease.

Working together with Dr. Windrem, Dr. Wang also studies the oligodendrocytic differentiation of human glial progenitor cells, as derived from pluripotential stem cells, for the purpose of establishing iPS and ES cell-based sources of oligodendrocyte progenitors for cell therapy.

Martha S. Windrem, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Neurology

Research Focus:

Martha Windrem studies the use of glial progenitor cells for treating disorders of myelin, in both pediatric and adult animal models of myelin disease. She also studies the biology of human astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in vivo, in chimeric brain models that permit the assessment of human cells in vivo, in rodent models of neurological disease