Biography
My lab is focused on regeneration and protection of the injured or diseased central nervous system. We study fundamental neuronal cell biology and develop gene therapy candidates for eye disease or spinal cord injury. Our work investigates developmentally regulated axon transport mechanisms that limit the delivery of regenerative proteins and organelles. We find that overcoming these transport limitations can increase regenerative ability. We use fluorescence microscopy, live cell imaging, molecular and cellular techniques to study neuronal and axonal signalling and trafficking pathways, and combine these studies with models of CNS injury and disease. These studies are identifying neuroprotective genes that stimulate axon regeneration in the spinal cord and optic nerve.
Please see my Research Staff Profile for more detail
Key publications:
- Petrova et al., 2020. Protrudin functions from the endoplasmic reticulum to support axon regeneration in the adult CNS. Nature Communications.
- Nieuwenhuis et al., 2020. PI 3-kinase delta enhances axonal PIP3 to support axon regeneration in the adult CNS. EMBO Molecular Medicine.
- Eva et al., 2017. EFA6 regulates selective polarised transport and axon regeneration from the axon initial segment. Journal of Cell Science.
- Koseki et al., 2017. Selective Rab11 transport and the intrinsic regenerative ability of CNS axons. eLife.
- Eva et al., 2010. Rab11 and its effector Rab coupling protein contribute to the trafficking of Beta 1 integrins during axon growth in adult dorsal root ganglion neurons and PC12 cells. Journal of Neuroscience.
Key collaborators:
- Professor Evan Reid, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research
- Dr. Pete Williams, Karolinska Institute
- Professor Patrick Yu Wai Man, University of Cambridge
- Professor Elizabeth Bradbury, King's College London