There are no clinically-effective neuroprotective therapies for neurotrauma. In addition, post-traumatic neurorecovery is usually limited and various secondary complications may follow. Among them, chronic pain, depression or increased susceptibility to infections further compromise quality of life of neurotrauma survivors. Therefore, there is a great need to develop therapies to limit nervous tissue loss, enhance neurorecovery, and prevent complications.
The strategic goal of the Hetman lab is to identify candidate target molecules for such therapies. To achieve that goal, we study signaling cascades that drive brain- and/or spinal cord damage, limit neurorecovery and/or promote development of secondary complications. While we focus primarily on traumatic spinal cord injury, our research findings may apply to other conditions such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, or dementia.