We study axons, the cable-like structures that connect neurons to their targets. Axons can reach over a meter in length and often survive for the lifetime of an organism. We are focused on understanding the mechanisms that promote this extraordinary survival capacity and understanding how survival is interrupted in the context of disease.
We work in three broad areas:
The cell biology of neuronal survival. We take a ‘bottom-up’ approach to understand the molecules and pathways that control neuronal survival. We ask how stresses including injury and loss of neurotrophic support disrupt these pathways to promote degeneration.
Mechanisms of axon pruning and refinement. A subset of axons are programmed to die as part of a natural pruning process during nervous system development. We study the mechanisms and biological roles of this pruning process with an eye towards understanding the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Nerve-tumor interactions. Tumors can release survival cues that attract axons and this allows many tumors to be highly innervated. We are interested the biological roles of axons within the complex tumor microenvironment.
* our latest work on axon - T cell interactions driving axon degeneration is published in Cell Reports.