Stem cells as a treatment for rare neuroimmune disorders

January 23, 2018

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES

DOWNLOAD MP3

About Our Guest Speakers

Jaime Imitola, MD

Director of Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Multidisciplinary Clinic and Translational Research Programs; Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Attending Physician at The James Comprehensive Cancer Center

 

Dr. Jaime Imitola is Director of the Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Multidisciplinary Clinic and Translational Research Program, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Neurology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Imitola received his medical degree from Universidad De Cartagena and completed his residency in neurology at Temple University Hospital and his postdoctoral training and fellowhips at Harvard medical school.  He is a multiple sclerosis neurologist, a neuroimmunologist, and stem cell scientist. Dr. Imitola discovered the first molecular mechanism of migration of neural stem cells in a model of central nervous system injury. He has also pioneered research in immunology of neural stem cells.

Michael Levy, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Neurology and the Medical Director of General Neurology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD

 

Dr. Michael Levy is an Associate Professor of Neurology and the Medical Director of General Neurology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Levy specializes in taking care of patients with neuroimmunologic diseases including multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, optic neuritis and neuromyelitis optica. In the laboratory, Dr. Levy’s research focus is on the development of neural stems for regenerative therapy in these diseases. He uses rat and mouse models to test the survival, differentiation and functional capacity of human neural stem cells to improve neurologic function in post-inflammatory conditions. The goal of his laboratory and clinical effort is to translate the basic science stem cell work to a human trial in transverse myelitis and other neuroimmunologic diseases.