Erythropoietin and Neurogenesis after Neonatal Stroke

描述（由申请人提供）：这是一份K 08奖的申请书，申请人是加州大学旧金山分校弗朗西斯科（UCSF）新生儿科系的助理教授Fernando Gonzalez博士，他正在将自己确立为新生儿大脑发育和修复的初级研究员。该K 08奖项将为Gonzalez博士提供必要的支持，以实现以下目标：（1）识别在大脑发育中发挥重要作用的神经干细胞（NSC）;（2）确定新生儿中风和外源性促红细胞生成素（EPO）治疗对细胞信号传导，细胞命运和功能结果的影响;（3）获得基础神经生物学和干细胞生物学的专业知识，为研究未成熟大脑中神经干细胞的调节，分化和功能做好准备;最后，（4）获得规划和执行基础科学转化研究的专业知识，从而发展作为转化研究者的独立研究生涯。为了实现这些目标，Gonzalez博士组建了一个指导团队，由主要赞助商和导师，UCSF神经病学和儿科学教授Donna Ferriero博士和两位科学顾问组成，他是新生儿脑损伤基础科学和临床研究的领先专家：加州大学旧金山分校儿科副教授帕特里克麦克奎伦博士，他对缺氧缺血性脑损伤后皮质发育和选择性脆弱性机制的特点有着丰富的经验，是脑损伤体视学技术和纵向研究方面的专家;和Zinaida Vexler博士，神经学教授和UCSF新生儿脑疾病中心研究主任，他研究中风对细胞因子信号传导和炎症的影响，并在荧光成像和标记技术方面经验丰富。Gonzalez博士还将由一个小组提供咨询，该小组包括新生儿科主任和霍华德休斯医学研究所研究员大卫罗维奇博士，以及加州大学旧金山分校再生医学和干细胞研究中心主任Arnold Kriegstein博士，他将负责跟踪他的进展并提供有关干细胞生物学研究设计和执行的意见。脑卒中引起的缺血再灌注损伤是新生儿疾病的重要原因，但对其了解甚少。为了最终解决早期中风后新生儿特有的问题，我们必须首先研究大脑发育的正常过程，对损伤的反应，以及外源性治疗如何增强修复。这里提出的研究旨在回答这个问题：可以改变NSC的命运，以改善新生儿中风后的长期结果？Gonzalez博士将利用他在加州大学旧金山分校的资源：表征NSC的发展和对新生儿中风和EPO治疗的反应（目标1），以澄清对替代的长期反应，可能进一步增强功能的外源性EPO的临床相关剂量方案（目标2），并确定重要的信号通路，机制和负责EPO修复增强的时间（目标3）。这将为Gonzalez博士提供必要的技能和初步数据，以准备R 01资助申请，他将最终研究新生儿脑损伤和修复的潜在机制，以及如何将细胞信号传导和命运的操纵转化为临床治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is an application for a K08 award for Dr. Fernando Gonzalez, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), who is establishing himself as a junior investigator in the development and repair of the newborn brain. This K08 award will provide Dr. Gonzalez with the support necessary to accomplish the following goals: (1) to identify neural stem cells (NSC) that play a major role in brain development; (2) to determine the effects of neonatal stroke and exogenous erythropoietin (EPO) treatment on cell signaling, cell fate, and functional outcome; (3) to gain expertise in basic neurobiology and stem cell biology that will prepare him to study the regulation, differentiation and function of NSCs in the immature brain; and finally, (4) to gain expertise in planning and executing basic science translational research, and thereby develop an independent research career as a translational investigator. To achieve these goals, Dr. Gonzalez has assembled a mentoring team comprised of a primary sponsor and mentor, Dr. Donna Ferriero, Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at UCSF, who is a leading expert in basic science and clinical research of neonatal brain injury, and two scientific advisors: Dr. Patrick McQuillen, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UCSF, who has extensive experience characterizing cortical development and mechanisms of selective vulnerability following hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and is an expert in stereological techniques and longitudinal studies of brain injury; and Dr. Zinaida Vexler, Professor of Neurology and Director of Research of the Neonatal Brain Disorders Center at UCSF, who studies effects of stroke on cytokine signaling and inflammation and is experienced in fluorescent imaging and labeling techniques. Dr. Gonzalez will also be advised by a panel that includes Dr. David Rowitch, Chief of the Division of Neonatology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and Dr. Arnold Kriegstein, Director of the Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF, who will be responsible for following his progress and providing input regarding study design and execution related to stem cell biology. The ischemic- reperfusion injury caused by stroke is a significant cause of neonatal disease and is poorly understood. To ultimately address problems that are specific to newborns following early stroke, we must first study the normal process by which the brain develops, responds to injury, and how repair is enhanced by exogenous therapy. The studies proposed here are designed to answer the question: can NSC fate be altered to improve long-term outcomes after neonatal stroke? Dr. Gonzalez will use the resources available to him at UCSF to: characterize NSC development and the response to neonatal stroke and EPO treatment (Aim 1), to clarify the long-term response to alternative, more clinically relevant dosing protocols of exogenous EPO that may further enhance function (Aim 2), and to identify important signaling pathways, mechanisms and timing responsible for EPO enhancement of repair (Aim 3). This will provide Dr. Gonzalez the necessary skills and preliminary data to prepare an R01 grant application in which he will ultimately study the underlying mechanisms of neonatal brain injury and repair, and how manipulation of cell signaling and fate can be translated into therapies for the clinical setting.