Glia are a frontier of neuroscience, and overwhelming evidence from the last decade shows that they are essential regulators of all aspects of the nervous system. The Zuchero Lab aims to uncover how glial cells regulate neural development and how their dysfunction contributes to diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) and in injuries like stroke.
Early neural progenitors respond to extrinsic cues that maintain and support their potency. These stem/ progenitor cells are in direct contact with the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which acts as part of their niche. Our research program encompasses the early neural stem cell niche, neural tube closure, CSF, metabolism, and cortical neuronal development. We are dedicated to broad collaboration focused on translating an understanding of neurodevelopment and CSF biology into regenerative strategies.
My research program aims to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie synapse function during behavior in the developing and mature brain, and how synapse function is altered in neurodevelopmental disorders. Within this broad research area, I am specifically interested in the following three overall themes.
Mitochondria move and undergo fission and fusion in all eukaryotic cells. The accurate allocation of mitochondria in neurons is particularly critical due to the significance of mitochondria for ATP supply, Ca++ homeostasis and apoptosis and the importance of these functions to the distal extremities of neurons. In addition, defective mitochondria, which can be highly deleterious to a cell because of their output of reactive oxygen species, need to be repaired by fusing with healthy mitochondria or cleared from the cell.
THE PETRITSCH BRAIN TUMOR STEM CELL AND MODELS RESEARCH LAB
The Poston Lab seeks to understand the biological underpinnings of non-motor symptoms in patients with Lewy Body diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
We study the roles of microRNAs in cortical projection neuron development, with an emphasis on corticospinal motor neurons. We have identified a group of mircoRNAs specifically enriched in corticospinal motor neurons during their development and are investigating their functions in cortical progenitors in vitro and in vivo, as well as in ES cells.
We seek greater understanding of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms driving tumorigenesis and disease progression in malignant brain tumors. We currently study the capacity of cellular and cell-free nucleic acids to inform treatment choices in patients with brain tumors, mechanisms of brain tumor cell migration, and identify potentially targetable genes and pathways. Our laboratory space lies at the heart of the Stanford campus between the core campus and the medical facilities, emblematic of the translational aspects of our work.