Meet Our Lab Members
Check out our “current lab members” page to find out what each of us is up to!
Changing the Therapeutic Paradigm of TBI
Millions of people each year suffer from neural injury and disease with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke being chief among them.
iPSC-NSCs with potential
Our lab is working with induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cell lines (HIP-NSCs) in an effort to examine their potential to regenerate damaged brain tissue after a…
Using neural stem cells to study stroke
We try to understand the extent to which our stem cell lines are able to form functional neural cells in the stroke environment.
Meet our pigs!
Through pigs like these, we are looking to determine if NSCs can survive and integrate into an injury site within the brain. Someday, we hope this type of…
Stereotaxic Injector System
Induced pluripotent neural stem cells are transplanted into the penumbra region of the infarct (area of tissue damage) using a stereotaxic injector device.
Porcine induced pluripotent stem cells
These cells come in as many colors as there maybe potential cures discovered by their use. Pig iPSCs: POU5F1 (red), SOX2 (green), DNA (blue).
Chimeric pigs generated from iPS cells
…and 29 chimeric pigs were born into the world. This is the first derivation of live chimeric animals generated from iPS cells in any species outside of the mouse.
The mission of the West Laboratory is the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke. TBI and stroke are leading causes of long-term disability and death in the United States. The West Laboratory focuses on regenerative therapies that promote neurogenesis, angiogenesis and activation of neuroprotective pathways with an emphasis on stem cell therapies. The West Laboratory breakthrough discoveries have shown that patient derived neural stem cells can replace lost neural cells and regenerate and stabilize damaged brain tissue leading to improvements in motor function, behavior, and cognition. The West Laboratory also develops magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain structural and functional assessment technologies to better predict learning, memory, and motor function deficits and long-term prognosis for patients that have suffered from TBI and stroke.
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Woke up this October morning to 55°. 🥶 It made me miss the warmth and the amazing time we had this summer in Philadelphia at the NNS symposium 2025! #FeelingNostalgic
Had a little birthday fun in class today. 🥳🎊🎉Needed the extra sugar for test 2!! #RBIO3130
Way to go Sanisa on your first place finish in the vet student poster competition at the 2025 Steeve Giguere Science of Veterinary Medicine Symposium!! 🔬🥼🧪
A big shout out to Charlie for coming in second place in the graduate student poster competition at the Steeve Giguere Science of Veterinary Medicine Symposium! 🧫🧬🧪
Congratulations Taylor for coming in first place in the graduate student division at the Steve Giguere Science of Veterinary Medicine Symposium 2025 poster competition!!! 🥳🎊
Congratulations Maria for winning one of the first annual CAES and CVM Trainee Pilot grants!! Amazing science coming soon!! 😃🎉
Look who I found at Sarah‘s wedding! One of our favorite former West lab undergraduate researchers Jillian! It was so great to catch up and to learn more about law school and Louisiana!
Sarah has accomplished so many things this year! Graduating with a PhD, new job, and marrying the love of her life! Congratulations to you Sarah!
Picking up some school supplies from Dunkin’ Donuts! Test 1 approved!
We had an amazing summer working with Sanisa on developing a neural stem cell therapy for neurological disorders. Looking forward to seeing what we can do with MRI this fall. ****Trying to change the world one day at a time.****
Congratulations Charlie for your poster competition win at the Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Retreat at Emory!
We had a great time at the Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Retreat at Emory!
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted I hope you dance
I love commencement! Here’s an amazing action shot from the front row of the man himself Snook Cosgrave getting his masters degree! Done with morning commencement and excited for afternoon commencement! Nothing like a doubleheader!
A little behind the scenes action at graduation! Congratulations Snook!
We had a great time with Ella Ryan today at a lab photo shoot! Lots of air pipetting over a gel rig! 😃👍
