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IGERT Trainees
 
 

Louisa Torres: 2011-2012 IGERT Trainee  

Hometown: Albany, NY

Undergrad University: State University of New York at Albany

Undergraduate Major: Biochemistry

Graduate Advisor: Dr. Stella Tsirka

Graduate Program: Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology

email: torres at pharm.stonybrook.edu

Research Interests: Microglia are the immune cells of the CNS. They respond quickly to injury by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and clearing cell debris. Uncontrolled microglial activation damages neurons and oligodendrocytes, the latter being particularly vulnerable to apoptosis after CNS trauma. Oligodendrocyte loss causes axon demyelination, eventually affecting the axon's and neuron's structural integrity. Following spinal cord injury, approximately half of the oligodendrocyte population near the lesion is lost within the first 2 days, which contributes to demyelination and axonal degeneration. Our lab has demonstrated that Zinc plays a major role on neuronal death in the CNS as well as in the activation of glial cells. Binding of the serine protease tPA to Zinc may disrupt microglial activation. I currently explore the hypothesis that Zinc-Tpa binding reduces demyelination and promotes OPC and oligodendrocyte survival following spinal cord injury.