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RESEARCH
PROGRAMS
[see also Research
@ Neurosurgery] There
are currently six laboratories
within MGH Neurosurgery — the Molecular
Neuroscience Laboratory, the Molecular
Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, Laboratory
of Molecular Neurophysiology, The
Howard Hughes Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, the Center
for Nervous System Repair and the Laboratory
for Cellular Engineering and the Laboratory
for Sensorimotor Integration. Residents can develop research projects in conjunction
with the Neurosurgery research faculty, in collaboration with other MGH departments
and throughout Harvard community. The
clinical faculty, most of whom have a significant research interest, are joined
in the department by basic researchers covering a broad spectrum of neurobiology,
neurophysiology, and neuropathology. For example, Dr. Manish Aghi, is working
in Dr. Robert Martuza’s molecular neurosurgy laborary. Dr. Aghi, who was
awarded a basic research fellowship from American Brain Tumor Association, is
researching glioblastoma multiforme (astrocytoma grade IV). “I’ve always
been interested in cancer and the opportunity to do benchwork that could potentially
translate into clinical trials, “ said Aghi. This fits neatly with Dr. Martuza’s
research interests which are in the area of the development of gene transfer techniques
and the use of viral vectors for tumor therapy. Dr. Martuza has been involved
with both basic and pre-clinical studies including translational studies and clinical
trials. He was the first to demonstrate that intravascular herpes simplex vectors
could effectively transduce tissue systemically.
| Our
lab is uniquely positioned to investigate basal ganglia function in nonhuman primates
and in humans undergoing surgery for movement disorders.” Emad N. Eskandar,
M.D. | The
newly created, Center for
Nervous System Repair headed by Dr.
Jeffrey Macklis, Director offers exciting new opportunities. “We are
focused in the general fields of CNS repair, neural precursor / “stem cell”
biology, and adult neurogenesis. We are working toward the cellular repair of
cerebral cortex output neuron circuitry lost in neurodegenerative diseases and
damaged by spinal cord injury (in particular, corticospinal motor neurons and
the corticospinal tract). We are especially focused toward induction of adult
neurogenesis; elucidating the molecular controls over the development of corticospinal
motor neurons and other important lineages of cortical projection neurons; directed
differentiation of replace ment neurons; and functional integration of replacement
neurons derived from adult neural precursors, also called “adult neural stem
cells” Facilities
- The Neurosurgical
Service operates roughly 15,000 square feet of laboratory space. One floor of
the Edwards Research Building is dedicated to neurosurgical research. It houses
the newly renovated Center for Nervous System Repair. This center is dedicated
to exploring the rapidly emerging technologies of stem cell transplants, gene
therapy, deep brain stimulation and translating those technologies into clinical
applications. This area houses the labs of Drs. Carter, Eskandar, and Macklis.
In the adjacent Wellman Building, 2,000 square feet houses the laboratory of cellular
neurobiology headed by Dr. Richard Masland, who is also an Investigator of the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Approximately 8,000 square feet are located in
the hospital’s MGH East research center at the Charlestown Navy Yard where
the tumor laboratories of Drs. Martuza and Rabkin and others are located. There
is also space, on White 5, used for large animal surgery and for activities preparatory
to cases, notably for computerized imaging equipment. New research space in the
Charles River Plaza building adjacent to the MGH main campus, is expected to begin
operating in 2005. (see http://btrc.mgh.harvard.edu)
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| Residents
Ramin Amirnovin and Ziv Williams | | |
| | Residents
at MGH are currently doing research in such varied areas as nervous system repair,
viral gene therapy, molecular genetics, behavioral neurophysiology, movement disorders,
learning and memory formation and autonomic control of food intake. Both
Drs. Ziv Williams and Ramin Amirnovin have undertaken their research under the
direction of Dr. Emad Eskandar, who has both a busy clinical and extensive research
program. “The basal ganglia play a critical but enigmatic role in many aspects
of brain function including movement, motivation, reward, and addiction. The goal
of our lab is to explore the role of basal ganglia in adaptive learning and motor
control in awake-behaving primates and in human subjects undergoing surgery.” Collaborative
research is encouraged as shown by the project designed by Dr. Dan Cahill, “I
work in the lab with Dr. David Louis in pathology and we study the molecular genetics
that are at the basis of primary brain tumors. In general we study gliomas and
oligodendrogliomas and understand the molecular differences that are at the basis
of their natural history. For example, all oligodendrogliomas are tumors that
are markedly chemosensitive and that chemosensitivity has been correlated to a
specific pattern of chromosome loss, and we try to understand what the basis for
this is by analyzing these tumors in comparison to gliomas.”
| “I
chose behavioral neurophysiology research with a focus on motor function because
it can help us elucidate how we plan and perform movements. I believe the future
of neurosurgery is brainmachine interfaces. A strong background in neurophysiology
is required to be part of the forefront of that future.” “Research
at MGH is amazing. Collaboration is very easy to do here. Just next door, there
is research on the neurophysiology of cognition, and next to that, research on
Parkinson’s Disease. The place is surrounded by an enormous number of resources,
including Harvard, MIT and the facilities of Mass General itself. You cannot beat
the research experience here.”-- Ramin Amirnovin, M.D. |
The most interesting
thing about the research is that it gets at the basic biology of tumor genesis,
so in many ways…you’re trying to discover something that is at the core
of the process as opposed to things that are downstream. If you really understand
[how] these things are caused, then you have a chance at a real hope for treatment.”
| “Mass
General’s at the forefront of research and it’s an exciting place to
work, and certainly anybody who had a chance to work within this system would
take it.” -- Dan Cahill | |
