Faculty Book

PATRICK M. WOOD, Ph.D.
Research Professor, Neurological Surgery

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Changes in the molecular and biological properties of human Schwann cells following exposure to growth factors; cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuregulin signaling in rat and human Schwann cells; mechanisms underlying axon Schwann cell interactions.

Research Interests

One of the major goals of transplantation research at The Miami Project is to fully explore the use of Schwann cells in cellular therapy to promote axonal regeneration and/or remyelination following spinal cord injury. Toward this goal, my laboratory is currently committed to a thorough study of the biological properties of adult-derived human Schwann cells. We have developed protocols that allow the generation, from a small biopsy of human peripheral nerve, of large numbers of Schwann cells for potential transplantation into the injured spinal cord. Efficient growth of human Schwann cells in culture requires the addition of recombinant neuregulin and the cAMP enhancer forskolin.  There is evidence that exposure to these growth factors may alter the biological function of the Schwann cells and especially that long term exposure to these mitogens might increase the risk of formation of tumors following transplantation; this concern is directly relevant to regulatory approval of transplantation in clinical practice. We are now working to determine how the molecular properties of human Schwann cells change as they proliferate in culture and to determine whether any changes that do occur will affect the ability of the Schwann cells to promote regeneration or remyelination. In addition, we are studying the mechanism by which c-AMP enhancers promote proliferation. Finally we are determining the involvement of these pathways in interactions occurring between the axons and Schwann cells. 

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Selected Publications

View all Publications

Fregien NL, White LA, Bunge MB, Wood PM (2004) Forskolin increases heregulin receptors in human Schwann cells without increasing receptor mRNA. Glia (in press).

Casella GT, Marcillo A, Bunge MB, Wood PM (2002) New vascular tissue rapidly replaces neural parenchyma and vessels destroyed by a contusion injury to the rat spinal cord. Exp Neurol 173:63-76.

Wanner IB and Wood PM (2002) N-cadherin mediates axon –aligned process growth and cell-cell interaction in rat Schwann cells J. Neurosci 22: 4066-4079.

Plant GW, Currier EP, Bates M, Pressman Y, Bunge MB and Wood PM (2002) Purified adult ensheathing glia fail to myelinate axons under culture conditions that enable Schwann cells to form myelin J. Neurosci 22: 6083-6091.

Casella GB, Wieser R, Bunge RP, Margitich IS, Katz J, Olson L and Wood PM (2000) Density dependent regulation of human Schwann cell proliferation Glia 30: 165-177.

Last udpate August 30, 2004.

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