Lab Members
Research Interests
Our goal is to promote regeneration and recovery of function after spinal cord injury by identifying the best strategies for cellular transplantation and to apply gene therapy methods to introduce therapeutic genes into the injured spinal cord. We are currently studying the efficacy of genetically modified fibroblasts, multipotential neural stem cells, neural and glial precursors, and bone marrow stromal cells.
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Current Lab Personnel
My research interest is now focused on the biology of neural stem cells (NSC) and their application in restoring connectivity and recovery of function after spinal cord injury. The lab has a history of research in identifying the best strategies for cellular transplantation and in the application of gene therapy methods to introduce therapeutic genes into the injured spinal cord. In the past, we worked with bone marrow stromal cells and genetically modified fibroblasts, but now we use mostly neural stem cells and progenitors (neuronal-glial) from rodents and humans. I am a member of the Spinal Cord Research Group.
Education
1970: BS in Chemistry from Israel Institute of Technology; Haifa, Israel
1976: MS in Biology from Israel Institute of Technology; Haifa, Israel
1981: PhD in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from University of California, Irvine
1983: MS in Computer Science from University of California, Irvine
Positions
1983 – 1986: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Biological Chemistry, Harvard
1986 – 1988: Assistant Biochemist, E.K. Shriver Center
1989 – 1991: Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
1991 – 1995: Associate Professor, Medical College of Pennsylvania
1995 – 1999: Professor, Medical College of Pennsylvania
1999 – Present: Chair, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine
Maryla Obrocka
Research Assistant III
Research Assistant Professor
Julien Bouyer
Research Assistant II
Theresa Connors
Lab Instructor
Former Lab Members
Birgit Neuhuber, PhD
Former Research Assistant Professor (now Program Director at NIH)
Takaya Yamagami, MD, PhD
Former Postdoctoral Fellow (now Orthopedic Surgeon at Nagoya City University, Japan)
Chris Haas MD, PhD
Student (now Resident at Hopkins)
Joseph Bonner, PhD
Former Postdoctoral Fellow (now AAA Science and Technology Policy Fellow)
Carla Christina Medalha, PhD
Former Postdoctoral Fellow
Courtney Paul
Former Research Technician (now Assistant Professor at George Washington School of Medicine)
Steve Han, MD
Former Graduate Student (now Senior Medical Director at GSK)
Angelo Lepore, PhD
Former Graduate Student (now Faculty at Jefferson)
Xiaobing Yuan, PhD
Research Assistant Professor (now Faculty at Hussman Institute)
Kazuo Hayakawa MD, PhD
Former Postdoctoral Fellow (now Orthopedic Surgeon at Nagoya City University, Japan)
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Collaborators
Neural and Stromal Stem Cells
Dr. Mahendra Rao, VP Regenerative Medicine, New York Stem Cell Foundation
Dr. Evan Snyder of The Burnham Institute
Dr. Darwin Prockop, Faculty, Tulane University Neuroscience Program
Dr. Jeff Twiss, University of South Carolina
Dr. Michael Lane, Faculty, Drexel University College of Medicine
Spinal Cord Injury
Dr. Michael Beattie, Chair, Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University
Dr. Jacqueline Bresnaham, Faculty, Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University
Biomaterials and Encapsulation
Dr. Margaret Wheatley, Faculty, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University
Dr. Peter Lelkes, Faculty, School of Biomedical Engineering, Temple University
Dr. Anthony Lowman, Professor and Dean, College of Engineering, Rowan University
Neuronal Cytoskeleton
Dr. Ralph Nixon, Faculty, Department of Psychiatry and Cell Biology, NYU Medical Center
Dr. Mark Black, Faculty, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Temple University
Dr. Tom Shea, Director and Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Biochemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Dr. Phillip Gordon-Weeks, Professor of Developmental Neurobiology, MRC Centre for Biomedical Health Sciences, Kings' College, London
Dr. Fatiha Nothias, Faculty, CNRS (Paris)
Other Colleagues
Dr. Pat Levitt, Professor and Chair in Developmental Neuroscience, USC
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Past Students Since 2000
Lana Zholudeva, PhD program, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Co-advisor 2015-2020
Steve Han, MD/PhD program, Neurobiology and Anatomy, MCP Hahnemann University, 1998 – 2003
Project: Characterization of neural stem cells.
Angelo Lepore, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2002 – 2005
Project: Grafting of lineage-restricted precursors into the CNS.
Joseph Bonner, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2005 – 2011
Project: Can neural stem cells form functional relays?
Chris Haas, MD/PhD program, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2010 – 2014
Project: Therapeutic properties of glial progenitor in spinal cord injury
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Past Postdocs Since 2000
Kazuhito Hayakawa, MD 2014-2016. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Nagoya City Univ., Nagoya, Japan
Jason Schwalb, MD, neurosurgical resident, University of Pennsylvania, 1999 – 2001
Gerard Johnson, postdoctoral fellow, MCP Hahnemann University, 2001 – 2003
Takashi Mitsui, MD, research associate, Drexel University College of Medicine (co-advisor with Dr. Murray), received the Lapides Grand Award in 2011, 2002 – 2005
Birgit Neuhuber, PhD, research assistant professor, Drexel University College of Medicine (promoted to assistant professor in 2005), grant analyst at the NIH, 2003 – 2005
Hiroyuki Yoshihara, MD, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan (co-advisor with Dr. Murray), 2003 – 2006
Jill See, PhD, research associate, University of Pennsylvania, 2007 – 2010
Ying Jin, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, University of Kentucky (promoted to assistant professor in 2011), 2009 – 2010
Takaya Yamagami, MD, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan, 2010 – 2011
George Ghobrial, MD, Department of Neurosurgery, Jefferson College of Medicine, 2013
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Visiting Scientists Since 2000
Ajay Bakshi, MD, neurosurgery instructor, Use of Scaffolds in Spinal Cord Injury, 2001 – 2004
Raymond F. Sekula Jr., Department of Neurological Surgery, Allegheny General Hospital, 2007 – present
Amer F. Samdani, MD, Spine Surgeon, Shriner’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2006 – present
Eustace Johnson, PhD, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital – Oswestry-Keele University, visiting scientist through the UK-IS Collaboration Development Award, 2009
Zeev Silverman, PhD, chair, Department of Morphology, Ben Gurion University, Israel, sabbatical year, 2009 – 2010
Carla Madhala, PhD, Department of Physical Therapy, University of San Paulo, Brazil, December 1, 2011 – August 1, 2012
Mandy Johnstone, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, U.K., 2012
Xiaobing Yuan, PhD, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2014
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