As a neonatologist, my research interests revolve around improving the survival and quality of life of high-risk neonates cared for in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. My primary interest is perinatal brain injuries impacting both full-term infants and those born prematurely. One of the most common forms of perinatal brain injury involves damage to white matter (myelin). My laboratory has developed models of perinatal brain injury to investigate how the endogenous neural stem cell responds to myelin injury. Our hope is to develop innovative strategies to successfully redirect stem cells into the oligodendrocyte lineage and promote myelination after injury. In order to successfully restore myelination after injury, we want to better understand the molecular mechanisms governing 2 important aspects of myelin development.
