Stephen A. Back

The Back Lab focuses on the development of novel strategies to promote regeneration and repair of injury to the developing brain. The lab studies mechanisms by which hypoxia-ischemia triggers cerebral white matter injury, the major cause of cerebral palsy (CP) in survivors of preterm birth. We focus on the oligodendrocyte lineage, as well as several other key cellular components of the white matter. We use several complementary approaches that employ human tissues, tissue culture systems and unique animal models. We also extend these developmental observations to define mechanisms of white matter injury in adult CNS in disorders that include multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.