Neural Regeneration and Repair

Martin Schwab’s expertise is in developmental neurobiology and mechanisms of repair of the brain and spinal cord. He postulated the concept of “inhibitors of neurite growth” as a cause of the absent regeneration of injured fiber tracts in the central nervous system and isolated one of the most potent nerve fiber growth inhibitors, the membrane protein Nogo-A. When this component was blocked by specific anti-Nogo-A antibodies generated in the lab, regeneration and functional repair could be shown for the first time in adult rats and monkeys after spinal cord injury. Cell biological studies revealed the mechanism of action of Nogo-A, its receptors and its functional role in the developing and adult CNS. The current focus of the laboratory is on the role of Nogo-A for the functional and structural repair after traumatic brain injury. Clinical trials testing the effects of anti-Nogo-A antibodies in spinal cord injured patients are currently on-going.

Martin E. Schwab is a Senior Professor and research group leader at IREM, and retired full Professor of  Neuroscience at the University of Zurich and  ETH Zurich.