Members

Dr. Seema Tiwari-Woodruff

Principal Investigator

Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences

Education and Training

B.S., Biology, Biology, Government Science College, Jabalpur, India
M.S., Chemistry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
Ph.D., Physiology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physiology/Neurology, School of Medicine, UCLA

Kelley Atkinson

PhD Candidate

Biomedical Sciences

The goal of my project is to elucidate the mechanism of mitochondrial function in multiple sclerosis and assess the therapeutic efficacy of estrogen receptor beta ligands. The central nervous system (CNS) requires vast amounts of energy to function. Therefore, it is important for mitochondria, the energy-producing organelle, to function correctly for CNS homeostasis. Neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to defective axonal transport and damage and has been shown to be a major contributor to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease.

Hawra Karim

PhD Candidate

Biomedical Sciences

Currently, my research in the Tiwari-Woodruff lab focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying autoimmune demyelinating disorders like multiple sclerosis. I am investigating the mechanisms of demyelination induced neurodegeneration and novel therapeutic interventions aimed at inducing remyelination.

Andrew Lapato

PhD Candidate

Biomedical Sciences

Patients with MS are at least three times more likely to develop seizures than the overall population. Seizures in MS prognosticate rapid progression to disability and death, but little is known regarding their pathogenesis. My research centers on understanding the cellular substrates of demyelination-induced seizures using immunohistochemisty, electrophysiology, and molecular techniques. Clarifying the etiology of epileptogenesis in MS will elucidate how myelination contributes to physiological seizure resistance and may provide a foundation for designing novel therapeutic approaches.

Maria Sekyi

PhD Candidate

Bioengineering

The Visual pathway is especially susceptible to multiple sclerosis (MS) mediated autoimmune attacks, leading to visual dysfunction as a primary complaint among MS patients. Because the visual system can be evaluated with relative ease using minimally invasive techniques, understanding its dysfunction in animal models may provide translationally relevant approaches to treating MS-induced visual system pathology. Thus, my research aims to develop translationally relevant correlates between minimally invasive assessment techniques for the visual pathway, and histological events observed in animal models of MS.

Hana Yamate-Morgan

PhD Candidate

Neuroscience

Currently in my research I am identifying the origins of oligodendrocytes contributing to remyelination in the corpus callosum, particularly induced by treatment with the estrogen receptor beta ligand Indazole-Chloride in the context of two mouse models of multiple sclerosis - EAE (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis) and CPZ (cuprizone). This can be achieved by fluorescently labeling neural stem cells in the subventricular zone and tracking those cells that are destined for migration to the corpus callosum. If we know the origins and distribution of remyelinating oligodendrocytes, then we will be able to better facilitate their endogenous proliferation and differentiation in time to prevent irreversible axon damage.