Advance-CTR

Marin Manuel, PhD

Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island
Research Profile

Awards

Advance RI-CTR Grant Resubmission Awards (Cohort 2)

" Transcriptomic profile of functionally identified mouse spinal motoneurons "

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease during which spinal motoneurons degenerate in a particular order depending on their physiological type–FF, FR or S.

In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, the reasons why spinal motor neurons degenerate in a specific order remains poorly understood. Dr. Manuel’s group has developed an innovative technique enabling study of the genes that are differentially expressed between the most vulnerable and the most resistant motor neuron.

The overall goal of this project is to study the transcriptomic profile of functionally identified S, FR, and FF motoneurons.

This work will provide foundational data for tackling important biological questions that remain intractable to this day. In the context of ALS, results from this study will identify the molecular processes that condition the selective vulnerability of motoneurons and thus suggest new therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of this debilitating disease.