Reprogramming Microglia for Brain Repair After Injury
Speaker: Professor Jana Vukovic
Queensland Brain Institute
University of Queensland
Title: Reprogramming Microglia for Brain Repair After Injury
Abstract: As the main tissue-resident macrophages of the CNS, microglia have emerged as key functional regulators of CNS repair. However, means to induce neuroprotective microglia and harness their intrinsic repair capabilities have remained elusive. In this talk, I will present our discovery that members of the IL-6 cytokine family serve as central mediators of bidirectional communication between microglia and neurons, a process essential for promoting recovery after CNS injury. Using a suite of preclinical models, we demonstrate that acute microglial activation markedly improves outcomes across diverse injury paradigms. Importantly, we show that this pathway can be therapeutically harnessed using engineered cytokines, offering a novel and broadly applicable strategy to enhance endogenous repair mechanisms in the injured CNS.
About Neuroscience Seminars
Neuroscience seminars at the QBI play a major role in the advancement of neuroscience in the Asia-Pacific region. The primary goal of these seminars is to promote excellence in neuroscience through the exchange of ideas, establishing new collaborations and augmenting partnerships already in place.
Seminars in the QBI Auditorium on Level 7 are held on Wednesdays at 12-1pm, which are sometimes simulcast on Zoom (with approval from the speaker). We also occassionally hold seminars from international speakers via Zoom. The days and times of these seminars will vary depending on the time zone of the speaker. Please see each seminar listed below for details.
