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Babette Fuss, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (1992)
Postdoctoral
training at University of California at Los Angeles and the Cleveland Clinic
Foundation
| Office Address: | | Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology | | | | Virginia
Commonwealth University Medical Campus | | | | Box 980709 | | | | Richmond, VA
23298-0709 | | Office
Phone: | | (804) 827-0826 | | FAX: | | (804) 828-9477 | | e-mail: | | bfuss@vcu.edu |
RESEARCH AND SCHOLARLY INTERESTS
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the major disabling diseases of the central
nervous system (CNS) preferentially affecting young adults (ages 20-40) of the
northern hemisphere. In the U.S, there are an estimated 250,000 to 350,000 people
with MS (MS Society).
Pathologically, MS is characterized by the presence of inflammatory demyelinated
areas in the CNS. Unfortunately, despite an intensive research effort, the
etiology of MS still remains unknown. Research in my laboratory focuses on
investigations towards a better understanding of the biology of the myelin
forming cell of the CNS, the oligodendrocyte, and its vulnerability to
immnunological damage. The functional characterization of a
novel oligodendrocyte-specific protein using molecular, cell biological and
transgenic techniques is designed to gain new insight into the mechanisms of
myelin sheath formation during normal development and during remyelination under
pathological conditions. Furthermore, we generated a transgenic mouse model that
now allows a detailed analysis of the contribution of cytotoxic T cells to
oligodendrocyte damage in vitro and in vivo.
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS
Fox MA, Colello RJ, Macklin WB, and Fuss B (2003)
Phosphodiesterase-Ia/autotaxin (NPP-2): a counteradhesive protein expressed
by oligodendrocytes during onset of myelination. Mol Cell Neurosci
23:507-519.
Fuss B, Afshari FS, Colello RJ, Macklin WB
Normal CNS myelination in transgenic mice overexpressing MHC class I H-2L(d)
in oligodendrocytes. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2001 Aug;18(2):221-34.
Fuss B, Mallon B, Phan T, Ohlemeyer C, Kirchhoff F, Nishiyama A, Macklin
WB (2000) Purification and analysis of in vivo differentiated oligodendrocytes
expressing the green fluorescent protein. Dev Biol 218:259-274.
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