Lab Members
Kristjan R. Jessen k.jessen@ucl.ac.uk
I obtained MSc and PhD degrees in Neuroscience while working in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, UCL, London. Following a Senior Research Fellowship of the Mental Health Foundation in the Neuroimmunology Project led by Martin Raff, Department of Zoology, UCL, I was awarded a Wellcome University Award Lectureship in 1983 in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, UCL. I have been a Professor of Developmental Neurobiology in the same department (now Research Department of Cell and Developmental Biology) since 1993. I am a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Rhona Mirsky r.mirsky@ucl.ac.uk
I obtained a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge. After a postodoctoral period in the USA, I was a member of the MRC Neuroimmunology Project led by Martin Raff from 1975-81, and moved to the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, UCL in 1981 as a lecturer. I was Professor of Developmental Neurobiology in the same department (now Research Department of Cell and Developmental Biology) from 1990-2004, and Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Associate since then. I am a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Lucy Carty l.carty@ucl.ac.uk
I am currently looking at the role of c-Jun in demyelinating and axonal neuropathies. My aim is to define the relationship between positive and negative regulators of myelination in peripheral nerve disease and characterise the phenotype of pathological Schwann cells/axons.
Susanne Quintes s.quintes@ucl.ac.uk
My research interest lies in peripheral nerve myelination and regeneration with a special focus on Schwann cell biology. I’m currently analysing the function of different transcription factors in Schwann cell dedifferentiation after peripheral nerve injury. Techniques I’m using include in situ hybridisation, cell culture and immunohistochemistry.
Daniel Wilton daniel.wilton@ucl.ac.uk
My work centres on nerve regeneration looking in particular at the interactions between neurons and glia. Using conditional KO mice I am currently investigating the role of c-Jun and Notch in the Schwann cell and neuronal response to peripheral injury. In order to assess regeneration I use a variety of techniques including immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, injection of retrograde tracers and a range of assays to monitor the return of motor and sensory function. Another area of interest is the signaling pathways involved in Schwann cell development particularly the events surrounding radial sorting and myelination. I am currently looking at the role played by regulators of the Notch signalling pathway in these processes.
Billy Jenkins billy.jenkins@ucl.ac.uk
My research considers the role that Schwann cells play during peripheral nerve regeneration. My aim is to study how the transcription factor c-Jun, expressed by Schwann cells after denervation, promotes axonal regrowth and re-establishment of the neuromuscular juntion, with particular emphasis on Schwann cell shape and migration. I use both in vivo and cell culture techniques to elucidate the mechanisms by which c-Jun regulates the Schwann cell cytoskeleton.
Elodie Chabrol-Pipard e.chabrol-pipard@ucl.ac.uk
I’m interested in Schwann Cell dedifferentiation following nerve injury. I’m currently looking at differences between immature and denervated Schwann cells and the pathways induced by injury at the RNA and protein level. I’m using techniques including Western blots and QPCR.
Former Lab Members
Peter Arthur Farraj peter.farraj@ucl.ac.uk
My main research goal is to define the role the transcription factor c-Jun plays in Schwann cells, after peripheral nerve injury. Additionally, I am also interested in identifying mechanisms through which the transmembrane signaling molecule, neuregulin-1 promotes peripheral nerve myelination.
Janina Hantke j.hantke@ucl.ac.uk
I am interested into the biology of Schwann cells and their neurons in both its normal and diseased state. Following on from my PhD in Australia where I worked on the genetics of a peripheral neuropathy, I am now investigating the pathological mechanisms of the most common neuropathy CMT1A with the help of a mouse model. Understanding the pathology of neuropathies gives great insight into fundamental processes such as differentiation and regeneration in the peripheral nervous system.
Morwena Latouche-Hartmann m.latouche-hartmann@ucl.ac.uk
I’m interested in the relationship between neurons and glial cells in the peripheral nervous system, and more specifically how the latter, the Schwann cells, support neuronal health following injury or in pathological conditions. My research focuses on particular signalling pathways and transcription factors in Schwann cells that have been identified in the laboratory as key regulators of this support. I’m using cell culture systems, genetically modified mice, and molecular biology techniques to determine how these regulators act.