Kalb Neuronal Biology Laboratory
The Joseph Stokes Jr. Research Institute
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

One of the major aims of our work is to investigate the cellular and molecular events underlying the development of the vertebrate central nervous system. In particular, we study how synaptic activity guides the formation of neuronal architecture and synaptic connectivity. We are actively studying the role of specific glutamate receptor subunits and downstream signaling cascades. In these investigations we focus on the spinal cord, with particular emphasis on motor neuron development.

Our laboratory also examines the control of sensitivity of motor neurons to toxic insult. Using tissue culture models we are investigating the ability of trophic factors to render motor neurons vulnerable to insult. The intracellular signaling systems that are involved in this phenomenon are actively studied in our lab.

These avenues of research are relevant to a number of clinical conditions including spinal cord injury (i.e., traumatic, ischemic) and motor neuron diseases (i.e., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)). Translation of our experimental work into new therapies for these disorders is our primary long-term goal.