Events Calendar

Seminar in Biomedical Engineering

Speaker: Michael Anthony Bonaguidi, PhD, Assistant Professor of Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine

Talk Title: Neural Stem Cells: New Tools Identify Dynamic Origins of Adult Brain Plasticity

Abstract: The adult mammalian brain has the remarkable capability to undergo structural changes by adding newborn cells to selected existing circuitry. Understanding cellular origins and mechanistic regulation of this neural plasticity serves as a model of endogenous regenerative potential. We developed a noninvasive genetic strategy to reveal the basic properties of individual neural stem cells within the adult hippocampus and how neural circuitry couples their behavior with specific tissue demands. Recent computational and systems level approaches provide evidence for the co-existence of neural stem cells with distinct molecular and behavioral identity. A vision of how diverse stem cells adapt and repair the brain will be discussed.

Biography: Biosketch
Michael Bonaguidi, PhD, joined USC as an assistant professor in the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in January 2015 and holds associate membership in the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute. He received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University, PhD in neuroscience from Northwestern University and completed his postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering. His group investigates brain development, adaptation and aging with the overall goal of identifying and overcoming limits of neural regeneration. They provided evidence of individual stem cell existence within the adult brain. By developing a new visualization approach, they found that these stem cells spawn more stem cells, and form new neurons and critical supporting cells called astroglia. Their subsequent studies have linked adaptation of neural stem cell behavior to changes in the brain under normal conditions and during injury. These stem cells offer intriguing possibilities for treating a variety of conditions, including mood disorders, deficits in social adaptation and brain damage. He has published in high-impact journals such as Cell, Nature, Cell Stem Cell and Nature Neuroscience and received prestigious awards, most recently the NIH Pathway to Independence Fellowship.

Research Impact:
The Bonaguidi Laboratory investigates how stem cells act to adapt and repair the adult brain. Using endogenous neural stem cells as a model system, their approach incorporates principles from neuroscience, single cell molecular and cellular biology, computational and systems biology, imaging and engineering to unravel brain plasticity. The laboratory focuses on the reciprocal interaction between neural stem cells and their surroundings in normal, aging, injured and diseased states. The long-term goal is to evaluate the capacity of endogenous stem cells to serve as a cellular mediator of neural function and as a therapeutic source of cognitive rejuvenation.


Host: Stanley Yamashiro

Location: OHE 122

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Mischalgrace Diasanta