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Department of Pharmacology

Valentina Cigliola

Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology

Research Description

Our research is dedicated to finding methods to regenerate the injured spinal cord, with the ultimate goal of reversing paralysis.

In adult mammals spinal cord injury leads to permanent loss of mobility and sensation. In contrast, zebrafish regenerate and recover function after spinal cord injury. Key for this regenerative capacity are neurogenesis and the formation of a tissue bridge, composed of glial cells and nerve fibers (axons), that connects the severed spinal cord stumps. Neonatal mice also regenerate axons after spinal cord injury, and recent studies suggest regenerative mechanisms similar to those in zebrafish.

We deploy frontline genetics, transcriptomics, in vivo cellular, molecular, and behavioral approaches in zebrafish and mice to answer the following questions:

  1. What factors enable innate spinal cord regeneration and how are they regulated?
  2. Are the pro-regenerative mechanisms in zebrafish and neonatal mice conserved?
  3. Can we awaken regeneration in adult mammals by reactivating innate pro-regenerative mechanisms?

We believe that elucidating key mechanisms of innate regeneration using zebrafish and neonatal mice can reveal molecular, cellular, and bioengineering approaches to treating spinal cord injury in adult mammals and, ultimately, in humans.

Cigliola Lab

Vanderbilt Brain Institute

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