Program and Year: Research Manitoba – 2020 Master’s Studentship Award
Project Title: Contribution of immune cells to successful spinal cord regeneration in zebrafish
Supervisor: Dr. Benjamin Lindsey
Faculty: Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
Synopsis:
My research looks into how immune cells communicate with neural stem cells in the spinal cord to promote recovery after an injury.
What will the impacts/benefits of this research be to Manitoba/Canada?
There is no cure for spinal cord injury in humans, however, using a regenerative model such as the zebrafish will allow us to gain a better understanding on how they repair post-injury so that we can translate our findings to mammals and come up with more effective treatments.
What do you hope to achieve at the end of your Research Manitoba funded project?
I hope that at the end of my project I gain better insight into how immune cells play a role in the regeneration of the zebrafish spinal cord.
How did the funds you received from Research Manitoba advance this research and/or your career?
The funding that I received allowed me to focus entirely on my research without worrying about finances and freed up lab resources to help move my project along in order to successfully defend my thesis in the future.
Did you receive additional funding for this project as a result of your Research Manitoba?
I received funding from Research Manitoba twice, one was my Master’s Studentship and the other was an entrance scholarship.