Discovery Science Labs: Understanding the Causes of Neurological Disorders
Summary
- Scientists at the Discovery Science Labs are conducting pioneering research into increasingly common brain disorders.
- Dr. Miguel Perez-Pinzon studies ischemic stroke and how physical exercise protects a specialized type of cell that helps the brain encode information and improves cognitive outcomes.
- Researchers at the Moraes Lab specialize in the genetics of mitochondria, especially how mutations in its DNA lead to neurological diseases.
Scientists at the Discovery Science Labs at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine are conducting pioneering research into increasingly common brain disorders ranging from Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease to stroke and ALS, advancing new insights they hope will translate from bench to bedside.
The Miller School’s Department of Neurology relocated Discovery Science Labs, which houses a group of scientists within the department’s basic science division, to the Rosenstiel Medical Sciences Building. Maintaining a rich history as a leader in brain research, the labs continue to be an incubator for discovery and education for future neuroscientists.
The labs serve as a vehicle for collaboration between faculty members across the Miller School and UHealth—the University of Miami Health System. The basic sciences division works closely with the department’s neurologists to study and strengthen the level of evidence-based care they provide patients. Both graduate and undergraduate students are employed at the labs and receive extensive mentorship.
“Our luminary scientists in the Department of Neurology are performing cutting-edge research to understand the causes of neurological disorders, an essential step to develop novel therapies for these conditions, which on aggregate are the main cause of permanent adult disability,” said Jose Romano, M.D., professor and chair of the Miller School’s Department of Neurology. “The work done by the Discovery Science Laboratories contributes to positioning the University of Miami as one of the premier institutions advancing neurosciences.”
Uncovering Stroke’s Effect on the Brain
At the Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research Laboratory, one of three main labs housed in the Discovery Science Labs, research scientists are unraveling how stroke affects the brain. They’re conducting experiments on animal models to understand how factors like exercise and estrogen influence stroke development and recovery.
Miguel Perez-Pinzon, Ph.D., the lab’s director, vice chair for basic science (neurology) and Peritz Scheinberg Professor of Neurology at the Miller School, studies ischemic stroke and how physical exercise protects a specialized type of cell that helps the brain encode information and improves cognitive outcomes.
“When we moved the labs, we designed them ourselves,” Dr. Perez-Pinzon said. “Each of our labs was done exactly the way we wanted and properly for the work we are funded to be doing, and I have an electrophysiology lab designed the proper way.”
Kunjan Dave, Ph.D., research professor in the Miller School’s Department of Neurology, is focused on developing microparticles from red blood cells that seal ruptured vessels to reduce the size of hematomas in hemorrhagic strokes. He’s also analyzing whether hypoglycemia explains why diabetes worsens stroke outcomes.
Ami Raval, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the Miller School’s Department of Neurology, is exploring the role of estrogen in stroke outcomes by gender by giving contraceptives to female animal models to simulate women’s bodies after menopause. Dr. Raval also researches whole-body vibration therapy, which some say helps prevent cognitive decline and improve stroke outcomes, dovetailing with Dr. Perez-Pinzon’s research on physical exercise.
“I think the effects of vibration are the same as jogging or some other physical exercise,” Dr. Perez-Pinzon said.
The lab’s research on physical exercise led to a grant from the American Heart Association to collaborate with Miller School neurologists on a clinical trial for post-stroke physical exercise. Doctors in the Miller School implemented the researchers’ animal model exercise paradigm with their stroke patients to evaluate adherence.
Zeroing in on Mitochondria
Mutations in mitochondria are responsible for neurological diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s. At the Moraes Lab, led by Carlos Moraes, Ph.D, the Esther Lichtenstein Professor of Neurology at the Miller School, researchers specialize in the genetics of mitochondria, especially how mutations in its DNA lead to neurological diseases. Dr. Moraes works with animal models to develop therapies for removing mitochondrial DNA in patients to protect against these mutations.
“With aging, you start accumulating bad mitochondria because the DNA has mutated,” Dr. Perez-Pinzon said. “Dr. Moraes is trying to develop pharmaceutical genetic therapies to reverse the mutations you see in mitochondria and repopulate the cells to restore normal function.”
The Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Health, Disease and Aging Lab, led by Antonio Barrientos, Ph.D., professor of neurology and biochemistry and molecular biology at the Miller School, looks at how changes in mitochondria with aging cause neurological diseases. Researchers use gene editing tools to manipulate yeast models and stem cells to study the properties of mitochondria in human cells.
Looking forward, Dr. Perez-Pinzon wants to see clinical trials based on the progress they see in their animal models.
“In stroke, we go through so many different phases before we can reach a clinical trial, so we have to be patient,” he said. “Research takes a long time, so we continue doing basic studies to see how the brain works and behaves under pathological conditions and how we can remedy those pathologies. It’s not simple.”
Tags: ALS, Alzheimer's disease, Department of Neurology, Dr. Ami Raval, Dr. Antonio Barrientos, Dr. Carlos Moraes, Dr. Jose Romano, Dr. Kunjan Dave, Dr. Miguel Perez-Pinzon, mitochondrial diseases, neurology, Parkinson's disease, stroke