J. Marc Simard, M.D., Ph.D.
Nature Medicine, Volume 12,
Number 4, April 2006

Taken from Dr. Simard's studies of molecular mechanisms of edema production, these immunofluorescent images of brain tissue after stroke demonstrate a) control, b,c) core infarct and d,e) peri-infarct areas. The images show the relationship between the Sp1 promoter and the SUR1 receptor as these mechanisms are activated in the hours after injury.

The Neurosurgical Research Labs, under the direction of Dr. J. Marc Simard, have three non-clinical departmental faculty members, all of whom have active extramural funding, solely dedicated to this laboratory. Six research associates, assistants or specialists and one postdoctoral fellow support the research efforts of the four faculty members. Additionally, two graduate students are affiliated with the laboratory, one from the Physiology Department and one from the Pathology Department. Both are doing their thesis work in the laboratory, with Dr. Simard as their major thesis advisor. Dr. Simard is also on the thesis committee of a third graduate student in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology. This large mix of talented people provides a unique environment in which neurosurgical residents can develop their scientific interests. For example, a neurosurgery resident who graduated two years ago obtained a Ph.D. while working with Dr. Simard.

The Neurosurgical Research Laboratories occupy 4,340 square feet in the School of Medicine. The laboratories are internally connected to the primary site, the University Hospital and the academic offices. The laboratories are fully equipped with all the necessary items required for state-of-the-art electrophysiological and molecular biological experimentation. 

Research in the laboratories is directed toward the study of molecular and cellular mechanisms of injury after ischemia or trauma, with a particular focus on ion channels in cerebrovascular smooth muscle cells, endothelium, astrocytes and neurons. The methodologies utilized are comprehensive, including electrophysiological, molecular, and sub-cellular structural investigations. This research is supported almost entirely by outside funding, which for the current academic year includes four NIH RO1’s, a Veterans Administration Merit Review grant,  two grants from the American Heart Association, a grant from the Department of Defense, a grant from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, and several smaller awards. The total laboratory research funding for FY06 is $1,213,896.00.

Recent work of the laboratories has resulted in the discovery of a novel ion channel that appears to be critically involved in ischemia-induced pathophysiological processes in the CNS. Several patent applications have been filed related to this work, and a company has been formed, funded by a venture capital firm, to advance commercialization of this work. 

Each year, residents are encouraged to participate in the work of the Neurosurgical research laboratories, and many do. For residents interested in areas of scientific investigation not directly addressed by laboratory faculty, there are also numerous alternative opportunities on campus in the Neurosciences, as well as at neighboring institutions including the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins University.

Funded Clinical Research >>