Stephen Crocker's Biography

Stephen Crocker, Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Dr. Stephen Crocker received his Bachelor of Science degree from University of King’s College (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and then completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Ottawa (Ontario, Canada). His received a fellowship from the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation which supported his postdoctoral research in the lab of Dr. David Park at the Neuroscience Research Institute (Ottawa Hospital Research Institute). Following this, he received a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) to support his postdoctoral studies with Dr. Iain Campbell in the Department of Neuropharmacology at the Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA). He then received a prestigious Career Transition Award from the NMSS which allowed him to complete his training in the Department of Immunology and Microbial Sciences at Scripps with Dr. J. Lindsay Whitton. Dr. Crocker then joined the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine where he is presently Associate Professor (with tenure). His current research program focuses on understanding the function of glial cells in the central nervous system as a strategy to promote regeneration in demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis and leukodystrophies. His research has been funded by the NMSS, the National Institutes of Health, and the Connecticut Regenerative Medicine Research Fund.

Development of a Novel Drug Discovery Platform for Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Monday, 10 July 2017 at 15:30

Add to Calendar ▼2017-07-10 15:30:002017-07-10 16:30:00Europe/LondonDevelopment of a Novel Drug Discovery Platform for Progressive Multiple SclerosisStem Cells for Drug Discovery and Toxicity Screening 2017 in Boston, USABoston, USASELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) without any effective treatment. Patients with PPMS generally do not benefit from currently prescribed immuno-modulatory therapies which can be effective among relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients. Hence, promoting endogenous brain repair by promoting the differentiation of myelin-forming oligodendrocytes (OLs) is viewed as a potential strategy to halt and possibly restore neurologic function in patients with PPMS. This presentation will provide an update on our current approach to develop a novel drug screening assay that can be used to identify compounds with potential to promote brain regeneration in PPMS patients. The basis for this assay is our recently developed and characterized induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines from PPMS patient samples which we have determined can be used to model the lesion environment of the PPMS brain. When compared against iPS cells from age-matched, non-diseased control cell lines we recently reported that the cells from all PPMS patients tested have an inherent defect in their ability to protect or promote myelin forming OLs. This work provides an innovative approach with personalized medicine potential because it models a crucial aspect of the disease microenvironment. Outcomes from this assay may have important implications for understanding re-myelination failure in PPMS that may have therapeutic potential to benefit other forms of MS.

Add to Calendar ▼2017-07-10 00:00:002017-07-11 00:00:00Europe/LondonStem Cells for Drug Discovery and Toxicity Screening 2017Stem Cells for Drug Discovery and Toxicity Screening 2017 in Boston, USABoston, USASELECTBIOenquiries@selectbiosciences.com

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