Principal Investigator: Dr. Marija Cvetanovic
Location: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
Year Founded: 2012
What disease areas do you research?
What models and techniques do you use?
Research Focus
What is your research about?
The human brain is made up of many different types of cells. Each of them has slightly different roles in a healthy brain. The goal of our research is to understand how SCA1 makes these different cells sick in different ways. We want to check if different parts of the brain show distinct or unique changes because of SCA1.
We are also interested in identifying which physical changes in the brain lead to specific SCA1 symptoms. We do a lot of our research on a specific type of brain cell called glial cells.
Why do you do this research?
Most brain research focus on neurons. But 50% of the cells in your brain aren’t neurons, they are glial cells! Glial cells help support and regulate neuronal activity, but they often get overlooked. But more scientists like us are researching glial cells. They do a lot for your brain.
If we want to develop successful therapies for SCA1, we need to understand how glial cells are impacted. Without that knowledge, we will not have the full picture. That’s why we do this work.
Fun Fact
We have a number of fluffy companions in our lab. Please check the Creative Catalysts page of our Lab Website for pictures!
For More Information, check out the Cvetanovic Lab Website!
Written by Dr. Marija Cvetanovic, Edited by Celeste Suart
