We are assessing Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) models of care and surveying the assessment and management of patients for stroke prevention. We want to find out what stops patients with TIAs presenting to their GP or hospital, and what barriers exist to stem cell therapy in the general public and for clinicians. Individual management research [...]

The Bionic Ear and Implanted Heart Pacemaker are two very successful technologies which interface between human tissue and electronic devices. We envisage that following stroke, which damages a neural pathway, recovery of function may be aided using nanotechnology solutions. One paradigm is to use a microelectrode array (MEA), implanted into healthy brain tissue to relay [...]

In 2004 we discovered a new brain specific gene encoding a transcription factor (Npas4) that is expressed specifically in the brain, and following injury from stroke or seizure. It has been found that Npas4 regulates the activity-dependent pathway of inhibitory neuronal connections. Further work from our laboratory suggests that Npas4 maybe an early regulator of [...]

Our aim is to understand how to repair the brain following ischaemic stroke. In 2000 Stan Gronthos, a collaborator, discovered an adult human stem cell in teeth, known as a Dental Pulp Stem Cell (DPSC). We have published that under optimum conditions DPSC may generate functionally active neurons and coordinate neuroplastic changes in a host [...]