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Affiliate Investigator, Neuroscience, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Assistant Dean, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Ottawa
Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cellular and
Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa
Research
Acute brain injury is a major cause of mortality and permanent disability in Canada especially in people under the age of 34. Presently, $3 billion are spent every year on approximately 200,000 Canadians living with stroke-related disabilities. With rising statistics every year, it is understandable that developing effective treatment strategies to facilitate functional recovery after acute brain injury is a health priority.
Recognized by her peers for the quality and potential impact of her work, Ruth Slack endeavours to find such strategies.
"The damage incurred by both traumatic brain injury and stroke occur by similar mechanisms involving two waves of cell death," explains Dr. Slack. "First, there is a rapid irreversible mode of cell death causing the death or decay of tissue, especially due to inadequate blood supply. Secondly, there is a delayed mode of cell death that takes two to four days to occur through the process of apoptosis."
Dr. Slack's work examines the molecular mechanisms regulating neurogenesis, and it has far reaching implications both in the field of basic developmental biology, and in stem cell research for the development of cell replacement therapies following brain injury. Understanding such mechanisms is essential for the development of stem cell based therapies to repair the injured nervous system. She is also working on identifying key molecular targets regulating neuronal cell death after injury. This type of research is crucial for the development of effective therapies for the treatment of acute brain injury.
Dr. Slack will address the possibility of regeneration following damage caused by tissue loss immediately upon impact or infarction. She hopes to exploit the knowledge she gains to facilitate neuronal regeneration after injury.
Dr. Slack is an associate professor at the University of Ottawa and has been cross-appointed to the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine since 1997. She is an active member of the Canadian Stroke and Stem Cell Networks. Publishing extensively in top-tier journals, Slack has also significantly contributed to graduate courses and research training for honours and graduate students alike. She is considered one of the most promising young neuroscientists in Canada and is well on her way to being internationally recognized for her work in the highly competitive fields of neurogenetic molecular mechanisms and the mechanisms of neuronal cell death.
Current Research Group Members
Staff
Jason MacLaurin Laboratory
Manager & Senior Research Technician
Tel: (613) 562-5800 x8459
Email: Jason.MacLaurin@uottawa.ca
Dominique Vaillant
Viral Vector Core Facility Manager & Research Technician
Tel: (613) 562-5800 x8412
Email: dvailla2@uottawa.ca
Linda Jui
Histology Technician
Trainees
Jackie Vanderluit (Ph.D Post-Doctoral Fellow)
Andre Fortin (Ph.D Candidate)
Nicole Arbour (Ph.D Candidate)
Eric Cheung (Ph.D Candidate)
Vladimir Ruzhynsky (Ph.D Candidate)
Kelly McClellan (Ph.D Candidate)
Arezu Jahani-asl (Ph.D Candidate)
David Douda (M.Sc Candidate)
Jaclyn Nicole LeGrand (M.Sc Candidate)
Lisa Julian (Ph.D Candidate)
Selected Publications
Cheung CC, Joza N, Sennart NA., McClellan KA, Neruspiel M, McMamara S, MacLaurin JG, Rippstien P, Park DS, Shore GC, McBride HM, Penninger JF, Slack, RS. Dissociating the dual roles of AIF in maintaining mitochondrial structure and apoptosis. EMBO J (In press).
Vanderluit JL, Ferguson KL, Slack RS: Emerging Roles for the Retinoblastoma Gene Family. Emerging Roles for the Retinoblastoma Gene Family. Rb and tumorigenesis. Pg. 26, Landes Bioscience, c2006.
McClellan KA, Slack RS: Novel functions for Cell Cycle Genes in Nervous System Development. Cell Cycle 5:14, July 2006
Ferguson KL, McClellan KA, Vanderluit JL, McIntosh MC, Schuurmans C, Polleux F, Slack RS. A cell-autonomous requirement for the Rb protein in neuronal migration. EMBO J. 2005 Nov 24; Dec 21;24(24):4381-91 (2005)
Cheung CC, Melanson-Drapeau L, Cregan SP, Vanderluit JL, Ferguson KL, McIntosh WC, Park DS, Bennett SAL, Slack RS. AIF is a key factor in Neuronal Cell Death propagated by BAX-Dependent and BAX-Independent Mechanisms. J. Neuroscience. (2005) Feb 9;25(6):1324-34.
Cregan SP, Arbour N, MacLaurin JG, Callaghan SM, Fortin A, Cheung CC, Guberman DS Park DS, Slack RS. P53 Activation domain I is essential for Puma upregulation and p53-mediated neuronal cell death. J Neurosci., 24(44):10003-12, 2004
Cheung EC, Slack RS. Emerging Role for ERK as a Key Regulator of Neuronal Apoptosis. Sci STKE. 2004 Sep 14;2004(251):PE45.
Vanderluit JL, Ferguson KL, Nikoletopoulou V, Parker M, Ruzhynsky V, Alexson T, McNamara SM, Park DS, Rudnicki M, Slack RS. p107 regulates neural precursor cells in the mammalian brain. J Cell Biol. 2004 Sep 13;166(6):853-63. Epub 2004 Sep 07.
Fortin A, MacLaurin JG, Arbour N, Cregan SP, Kushwaha N, Callaghan SM, Park DS, Albert PR, Slack RS. The proapoptotic gene SIVA is a direct transcriptional target for the tumor suppressors p53 and E2F1. J Biol Chem. 2004 Jul 2;279(27):28706-14. Epub 2004 Apr 22.
Cregan SP, Dawson VL, Slack RS. Role of AIF in caspase-dependent and caspase-independent cell death. Oncogene. 2004 Apr 12;23(16):2785-96.
Ferguson KL, Slack RS. Growth factors: They promote neurogenesis? Trends Neurosci. 2003 Jun;26(6):283-5. Review.
Cregan SP, Fortin A, MacLaurin JG, Callaghan SM, Cecconi F, Yu SW, Dawson TM, Dawson VL, Park DS, Kroemer G, Slack RS. Apoptosis-inducing factor is involved in the regulation of caspase-independent neuronal cell death. J Cell Biol. 2002 Aug 5;158(3):507-17. Epub 2002 Jul 29.
Ferguson KL, Vanderluit JL, Hebert JM, McIntosh WC, Tibbo E, MacLaurin JG,Park DS, Wallace VA, Vooijs M, McConnell SK, Slack RS. Telencephalon-specific Rb knockouts reveal enhanced neurogenesis, survival and abnormal cortical development. EMBO J. 2002 Jul 1;21(13):3337-46.
Simpson MT, MacLaurin JG, Xu D, Ferguson KL, Vanderluit JL, Davoli MA, Roy S, Nicholson DW, Robertson GS, Park DS, Slack RS. Caspase 3 deficiency rescues peripheral nervous system defect in retinoblastoma nullizygous mice. J Neurosci. 2001 Sep 15;21(18):7089-98.
Fortin A, Cregan SP, MacLaurin JG, Kushwaha N, Hickman ES, Thompson CS, Hakim A, Albert PR, Cecconi F, Helin K, Park DS, Slack RS. APAF1 is a key transcriptional target for p53 in the regulation of neuronal cell death. J Cell Biol. 2001 Oct 15;155(2):207-16. Epub 2001 Oct 08.
Ferguson KL, Slack RS: The role of Rb in neurogenesis. Neuroreport 12: N55-62,2001.
Cregan SP, MacLaurin JG, Gendron TF, Callaghan SM, Park DS, Parks RJ, Graham FL, Morley P, Slack RS. Helper-dependent adenovirus vectors: their use as a gene delivery system to neurons. Gene Ther. 2000 Jul;7(14):1200-9.
Ferguson Kl, Callaghan SM, O'Hare MJ, Park DS, Slack RS. The Rb-CDK4/6 signaling pathway is critical in neural precursor cell cycle regulation. J Biol Chem. 2000 Oct 27;275(43):33593-600.
Cregan SP, MacLaurin JG, Craig CG, Robertson GS, Nicholson DW, Park DS, Slack RS. Bax-dependent caspase-3 activation is a key determinant in p53-induced apoptosis in neurons. J Neurosci. 1999 Sep 15;19(18):7860-9.
Callaghan DA, Dong L, Callaghan SM, Hou YX, Dagnino L, Slack RS. Neural precursor cells differentiating in the absence of Rb exhibit delayed terminal mitosis and deregulated E2F 1 and 3 activity. Dev Biol. 1999 Mar 15;207(2):257-70.
Note: This is not a complete list of publications. More publications may be available in The Ottawa Hospital Library database and Pubmed (search by last name and initials).
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Roger Guindon Hall
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