Projects

1. The Expression of Nxf in Neural Stem Cells

Although Nxf is expressed in the region of brain important for memory, the function of this gene is yet to be elucidated. Our laboratory is investigating the biology of Nxf in cell culture and zebrafish model systems.

This project will determine the expression of Nxf in neural cell types differentiated from stem and progenitor cells.

The regulation of Nxf will be studied in cell lines transfected to overexpress Nxf. This system will allow the manipulation of the cellular environment to effect Nxf expression.

Techniques used in this honours project include tissue culture, cell-transfection, immunohistochemistry, realtime PCR, and Western blotting.

Other current research projects in the laboratory include:

1. The application of adult dental pulp stem cells for treating cerebral ischemia commonly known as stroke.
2. The role of Ephrin receptors and their ligands in migration of adult neural stem cells.
3. Isolation from brain and maintenance of neural stem cells in culture. Regulation of neural stem and progenitor cell differentiation, and immunohistochemical phenotyping.