Name: Juan Larraín

Position: Professor

Research Description:

Regeneration of spinal cord in Xenopus laevis

Unlike mammals, the Xenopus laevis tadpole has a remarkable regenerative capacity that allows it to regenerate the spinal cord after severe injury. However, as the tadpole metamorphoses into a frog it loses this regenerative capacity. This provides a unique model that has regenerative (tadpole) and non-regenerative (frog) stages, in which we can model spinal cord injury. We study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of spinal cord regeneration, and are interested in identifying the differences between tadpoles and froglets. To address this, we use high-throughput RNA sequencing, cellular transplant, and generation of transgenic animals together with other methods to modify gene expression. This knowledge will be useful in finding new methods to promote spinal cord regeneration in mammalian organisms.

See our you tube video describing regeneration research in our lab:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTDhLFSkkMU

Contact Information

Address:
Center for Aging and Regeneration,
Millenium Nucleus in Regenerative Biology,
Faculty of Biological Sciences,
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile,
Alameda 340
Santiago
Chile

Email: jlarrain@bio.puc.cl
Web Page: http://laboratoriolarrain.uc.cl/people.html