According to UVA Today, a University of Virginia professor, Sarah Kucenas, is studying glia cells in the brain of fish that could potentially help spear the way for the creation of drugs that could impact those with childhood neurodegenerative diseases and conditions. Among these conditions are multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and Charcot-Marie Tooth disease.
One of these, the well-known multiple sclerosis (MS), is a neurological disorder that affects communication between the brain and the body. This happens when the immune system attacks a certain protective covering on the nerve cells. There are two types of MS and there is no known cause of the disease. In those with multiple sclerosis, all parts of the body may be affected. Currently, there is no cure for the condition but the symptoms of multiple sclerosis can be treated. To learn more about MS, click here.
Kucenas knew she was interested in glia cells since she was a graduate student at Saint Louis University. At the time, there was very little known about these nerve cells in the scientific and medical world, but Kucenas and her lab is on their way to changing that.
Glia cells are an important part of the brain, as they are known as the “glue” holding parts of the brain together. The cells are crucial to both the central and peripheral nervous systems and work in the regeneration of these parts of the brain in response to injury or some diseases.
Aside from the implications her research may have on early-on neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy, the lab’s research on glia cells may also lead to drug development for later-life neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, as these conditions are also affected by glia cells.
Kucenas explains why this is a big deal, “Historically glia has been under-studied and under-appreciated for its role in so many of these diseases.”
“We are now beginning to increase our appreciation of the role of glia in development and regeneration through further study,” she said.
Interestingly, Kucenas and her lab are using fish as a model in this research. Specifically, zebrafish. These fish have about 80 percent of the same genes in the brain as humans do, so they are definitely a great choice for the study.
“The zebrafish nervous system has a direct link to the human nervous system; the cells are genetically identical,” said Kucenas. “We can mutate genes in the fish to mimic human diseases and watch the biology as it happens.”
Perhaps an even more important aspect of the fish is that they are practically transparent. Because of this characteristic, researchers are able to anesthetize the zebrafish and then put them under a microscope to observe the glia cells as they interact in the live fish in real time. These movements and interactions are also being recorded so researchers can take another in-depth look for comparisons and meaningful patterns in how the two nervous systems interact.
Kucenas lab has already made some notable strides in terms of research in glia cells. They already found that glia interact with one another as well as move from the central nervous system to the peripheral system.
Dr. Kucenas thinks that these discoveries may lead to more targeted therapies for those neurodegenerative diseases mentioned above.
The fish lab has recently gained more funding from UVA’s College of Arts and Sciences, so the facility was able to expand in size by 50 percent. Kucenas now is able to study many more zebrafish and hopefully this will vamp up the productivity of the lab.
Despite all her successes, Kucenas still believes she has a lot of people to thank.
“I’m successful as a scientist because I am able to recruit amazing, dedicated people who trust me in their training. Everything good that has happened to me is because of them,” Kucenas said.
To learn more about this research at UVA, click here.
