Current Lab Projects & Interests
Anti-aging research:
My main goal is to develop approaches to extend the healthy lifespan. Focus is thereby on either using stem cells or understanding how to best re-install regeneration processes, but I am not limited to stem cells.
One part of this area is a project on cell and stem cell transplantation studies using aged and Alzheimer mice. In AD mice I could show that MSC transplantation can reduce AD symptoms, especially the inflammation response. We are still working on the aging part of the project.
Additional interest is in testing interventions (substances, cells….) in normal, healthy mice and lifespan tests. This had led to a crowdfunding project (https://www.lifespan...esting-program/) which was successful. We will start with these experiments soon. We also have a web page for the project which we keep updated if you are interested (http://majormouse.org/) to join us and help us raise money and review literature for useful compounds. The next crowdfunding round has been initiated and we are currently reviewing what our next intervention will be.
Regenerative Medicine:
I am interested in the role of mesenchymal stem cells (mainly but recently also hematopoietic stem cells and endothelial progenitors) in regeneration and how we can use these cells in regenerative medicine but also to understand how stem cells are changed by the aging process. This links to my patent on mRNA reprogramming, which can be used to generate virus –free iPS but also to rejuvenate cells.
Active projects in this research area are:
· Restrain: A comparison of two cell types (microglia and MSC) in two disease mice models (Alzheimer and Huntington). The goal is to understand what type of cell delivery is best to get cells into the brain (intravenous injections, intranasal delivery, intracraneal transplantation).
· BAL (Bioartificial Liver): We are working on an external liver device. The goal is to design a device filled with liver cells to support survival until a liver can be found for transplantation.
· HemAcure: Hemophilia A, a combined gene/cell therapy project for Hemophilia A (http://www.hemacure.eu/)
Cryopreservation:
My interest in cryopreservation is to improve (stem) cell freezing to improve cell-based therapies. Current focus lies on changes in stem cells induced by the cryopreservation process, development of new solutions and up-scaling of the cryopreservation process. In addition, I am planning to move from cells to tissues & organs.
· DMSO-free cryopreservation
· Anti-freeze proteins
· Umbilical cord blood
· Gerontorbiology inspired crypreservation solution development
Please come and visit me on my Loughborough, UK lab webpage http://www.lboro.ac....andra-stolzing/ or on http://www.lboro.ac..../research/lcbe/.
Edited by Mondey, 14 July 2016 - 11:22 AM.
