Common Research Facilities
Contact
Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University
3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, JAPAN
TEL +81-92-642-6814
FAX +81-92-642-6246

The 759th MIB Seminar
(Joint Usage/Research Center for the Multi-stratified Host Defense System)

[Seminar in English]

Title

Spinal cord regeneration based on glial biology

Speaker

Seiji Okada, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Dept.of Advanced Medical Initiatives
Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University

Date

Jan. 29 (Mon), 2018
9:30~10:30

Venue

Seminar Room, Main Building 1F, Medical Institute of Bioregulation
No.26 on the following linked map.
(http://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/f/30074/Hospital_en-2017.pdf)

Abstract

In recent years, stem cell transplantation has emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury (SCI), and several early-phase clinical trials have been completed. However, its efficacy and long-term safety remain unproven, especially in the chronic transplantation for SCI. One of the failure causes can be ascribed to the glial scar, which strictly segregates the lesion and the spared area after SCI. The process of glial scar formation, astrogliosis, has long been considered to be unidirectional and irreversible, however, we recently demonstrated that the process of glial scar formation is regulated by environmental cues, such as fibrotic extracellular matrix material. In this seminar, I will talk about the new concept for spinal cord regeneration based on glial biology.

Publications

  1. Hara M, Kobayakawa K, Ohkawa Y, Kumamaru H, Yokota K, Saito T, Kijima K, Harimaya K, Nakashima Y, Okada S*. Interaction of reactive astrocytes with collagen type I induces astrocytic scar formation through the integrin/N-cadherin pathway after spinal cord injury. Nature Medicine. 23:818-28, 2017.
  2. Koabayakawa K, Kumamaru H, Saiwai H, Kubota K, Ohkawa Y, Yokota K, Ideta R, Shiba K, Inoue K, Iwamoto Y, Okada S*. Acute hyperglycemia impairs functional improvement after spinal cord injury in mice and humans. Science Transl. Med. 6:256ra137, 2014.

Contact

Medical Institute of Bioregulation
Yusaku Nakabeppu
Tel:092-642-6800