Welcome to our lab!
What do we do?
The goal of our research is to understand the functions of the neural microenvironment in the normal brain and in neuropathologies. We study the extracellular matrix (ECM) that surrounds neurons and glial cells, and the role of this matrix on cellular connections and motility.
What are the applications of our research?
Many!
Our major focus is the study of the cellular microenvironment in the malignant brain tumors known as
gliomas. These deadly tumors have unique mechanisms to modify the neural ECM and infiltrate in the brain and spinal cord. Developing effective strategies against glioma invasion is a major research priority to improve therapeutic efficacy against this disease. Our projects range from studying the cellular mechanisms of tumor cell invasion to developing strategies to improve the delivery of therapeutic reagents in brain tumors.
We also study the changes in the cellular microenvironment that follow an injury to the central nervous system (CNS), and the remodelling of the neural matrix in different pathologies. This research advances our knowledge of the mechanisms of neuro-regeneration, neural stem cell migration, and synaptic plasticity in the CNS. Our projects range from studying the molecular signals that regulate stem cells motility in the brain, to developing novel strategies that may improve spinal cord injury recovery.
How do we study it?
Our lab is fully set-up to do cellular and molecular biology, tissue analysis and animal studies. Some of the techniques we use in the lab include: cultures of biopsies and cell lines, intracranial surgery, viral design and transduction, time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, glycochemistry, immunochemistry, proteomics and molecular genetics.
Some of the broad questions we try to answer in the lab:
How do gliomas modify the neural microenvironment to invade the normal brain?
Can we target these invasive mechanisms? Can we manipulate the neural microenvironment to reach the glioma cells scattered in the brain?
What are the functions of the neural matrix in injury and regeneration?
How does the cellular microenvironment regulate the migration of neural cells?
Above: Glioma cells cultured on different ECM substrates show different morphologies that correlate with enhanced or reduced migration
(© Viapiano Lab)
Where are we?
The Viapiano Lab is located in the Center for Molecular Neurobiology, a state of the art facility for neuroscience research (see the Center’s homepage here). The Center is in the West Campus of The Ohio State University at Columbus, Ohio (map).
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