LifeScience Zurich Learning Center - a new symbiosis of research institutions and schools.

The Life Science Learning Center (LSLC) was officially founded in 2005. It is a branch of the pre-existing Life Science Zurich, an organization created by and belonging to the University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich to promote and support life sciences in several central parts of society. The LSLC's primary goals are to offer educational opportunities for school children as well as continuing education for teachers of the primary and secondary school levels.

Regenerating corticospinal fibers in the Marmoset (Callitrix jacchus) after spinal cord lesion and treatment with the anti-Nogo-A antibody IN-1.

Neutralizing the myelin-associated growth inhibitor Nogo-A in adult spinal cord-injured rats can promote regeneration of injured and compensatory sprouting of uninjured axons. Nogo-A is present in humans, making its neutralization a possible novel treatment option for paraplegic patients. In this study we examined the effects of an extensively used anti-Nogo-A antibody (mAb IN-1) on the regenerative capabilities of lesioned corticospinal tract (CST) axons in a primate, the Marmoset monkey.

AIF-1 expression defines a proliferating and alert microglial/macrophage phenotype following spinal cord injury in rats.

Microglial cells are among the first and dominant cell types to respond to CNS injury. Following calcium influx, microglial activation leads to a variety of cellular responses, such as proliferation and release of cytotoxic and neurotrophic mediators. Allograft inflammatory factor-1, AIF-1 is a highly conserved EF-handed, putative calcium binding peptide, associated with microglia activation in the brain.

Reactions of oligodendrocytes to spinal cord injury: cell survival and myelin repair.

The aim of this study was to elucidate whether oligodendrocytes die in fiber tracts that are spared by a spinal cord injury but are in close vicinity of inflammatory cells. Adult rat spinal cords were studied histologically 1 day to 2 weeks after a contusion lesion that left the ventral white matter largely intact. Massive oligodendrocyte death occurred in the lesion center, along with the death of neurons, microglia, and astrocytes.

Validation of the weight-drop contusion model in rats: a comparative study of human spinal cord injury.

Animal models are widely used for studying the pathophysiology as well as treatment strategies for injuries of the central nervous system. However, it is still unclear in how far the rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI) is valid for human SCI. Therefore, comparisons were made among functional, electrophysiological, and morphological outcome parameters following SCI in rats and humans.