Gene Based Neuromodulation

Boulis, Nicholas

Title:

Gene Based Neuromodulation

dc.contributor.author	Boulis, Nicholas
dc.contributor.corporatename	Georgia Institute of Technology. Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience	en_US
dc.contributor.corporatename	Emory University	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2017-03-23T18:43:27Z
dc.date.available	2017-03-23T18:43:27Z
dc.date.issued	2017-03-14
dc.description	Presented on March 14, 2017 from 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. at the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB), room 1128, Georgia Tech.	en_US
dc.description	Nicholas Boulis, M.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine.	en_US
dc.description	Runtime: 68:07 minutes	en_US
dc.description.abstract	Nicholas Boulis, M.D. is a Functional Neurosurgeon with significant expertise in the field of gene transfer to the nervous system. Dr. Boulis' Gene and Cell Therapy Translational Laboratory pursues advanced biological treatments for neurological disorders, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Over the last two decades, growing knowledge about the underlying causes of these diseases, as well as the protective effects of special proteins, has given rise to hope for the development of therapies. Dr. Boulis' laboratory specializes in the therapeutic application of the genes for these proteins. Within the Boulis laboratory, the genes for neural growth factors and antiapoptotic intracellular proteins are inserted into the DNA of genetically engineered viruses. These viruses, which have been rendered safe through the removal of their native genes, can be used to transfer therapeutic genes into diseased tissue. A variety of vectors are currently being tested in both neuronal cell cultures and in animal models for MND. In parallel, the Boulis laboratory has focused on the development of tissuespecific targeting strategies. These approaches are designed to deliver molecular therapeutics to an anatomically defined site of interest. Much of this effort has concentrated on motor neuron-specific gene delivery. Finally, Dr. Boulis has focused on the development of techniques for safe and accurate injection of stem cells into the human spinal cord. Research in the Boulis laboratory tests basic principles while providing tools for clinical translation. Techniques/assays applied in the lab include: neuronal cell cultures, rodent transgenic colonies, surgery in rodents (mice and rats), locomotor behavior assays in rodents, surgery in large animals {pigs and monkeys), histology, etc. With proof-of-principle in the laboratory and Dr. Boulis' expertise in neurosurgery, the laboratory creates a unique resource for the development and clinical translation of these concepts.	en_US
dc.format.extent	68:07 minutes
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1853/56545
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.publisher	Georgia Institute of Technology	en_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries	Petit Institute Breakfast Club Seminar Series
dc.subject	Neurotransmitters	en_US
dc.title	Gene Based Neuromodulation	en_US
dc.type	Moving Image
dc.type.genre	Lecture
dspace.entity.type	Publication
local.contributor.corporatename	Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience
local.relation.ispartofseries	Petit Institute Breakfast Club Seminar Series
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication	d978f252-ad5a-4fe6-a735-21050b2d760e
relation.isSeriesOfPublication	037a6ee9-c6f0-4f20-abb8-e229d98f6754