Myelin in Health and Disease Group
Neurodegenerative diseases cause a gradual loss of neurons from the nervous system. Since neurons rely on myelin for proper function, could myelin play a key role in neurodegeneration? To investigate, our group uses stem cell and mouse models to study myelin changes during development and in other diseases.
About our research
Our group is primarily focused on understanding the role of myelin and myelin-producing cells, called oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells, in motor neuron disease (MND). We are also interested in myelination in development as well as in other diseases like Multiple Sclerosis.
We utilise induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to model myelin in health and disease using a combination of 2D and 3D cultures. We also use mouse models and human post-mortem tissue. Collectively, we use these models to assay myelin at a cell, and subcellular, level using a range of molecular and biochemical assays. Our goal is to identify the precise role that myelin plays in motor neuron disease. Our expertise with iPSC, and particularly our ability to differentiate them into complex organoid structures, also allows us the opportunity to study myelin in development and in other disease contexts.
Research interests
- Myelin
- Motor Neurone Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
Techniques
- iPSC-derived disease modelling
- 2D and 3D iPSC-derived cultures
Research team
Research team head
Group Head
Team members
Research fellows
- Shwathy Ramesan
Research and technical staff
- Joel Mason
PhD students
- Katherine Lewis
- Francois-Xavier Beau
- Lijun Loh
Honours students
- Stephanie Chua
Publications
- Sadler, G.L., Lewis, K.J., Narayana, V.K., De, D.P., Mason, J.B., McLean, C., Gonsalvez, D.G., Turner, B.J. and Barton, S. (2022). Lipid Metabolism Is Dysregulated in the Motor Cortex White Matter in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Metabolites, [online] 12(6), pp.554–554. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12060554.
- Barton, S., Gregory, J.M., Selvaraj, B.T., McDade, K., Henstridge, C.M., Spires-Jones, T.L., James, O.G., Mehta, A.R., Story, D.A., Burr, K., Magnani, D., Isaacs, A.M., Smith, C. and Chandran, S. (2021). Dysregulation in Subcellular Localization of Myelin Basic Protein mRNA Does Not Result in Altered Myelination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 15. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.705306.
- Barton, S.K., Magnani, D., James, O.G., Livesey, M.R., Selvaraj, B.T., James, O.T., Perkins, E.M., Gregory, J.M., Cleary, E., Ausems, C.R.M., Carter, R., Vasistha, N.A., Zhao, C., Burr, K., Story, D., Cardinali, A., Morton, N.M., Hardingham, G.E., Wyllie, D.J.A. and Chandran, S. (2021). TDP-43 proteinopathy in oligodendrocytes revealed using an induced pluripotent stem cell model. Brain Communications. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcab255.
Contact us
Dr Samantha Barton
Group Head
[email protected]