Meet Our Lab Members

Check out our “current lab members” page to find out what each of us is up to!

Three Dimensional MRI Reconstruction of Stoked Brain

Three-dimensional reconstruction of MRI in stroke brain. Scans captured on a Siemens 1.5 Tesla magnet.

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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I went to check my mailbox and I found this guy in there! We used to only have pigs coming out of our ears. Now they’re coming out of our mailbox!
Come learn more about cutting edge biomedical imaging in pig models to help millions of patients with neurological conditions. We are going to be there. How about you? https://sbr2024.org #TNRRlab #westlab
Congratulations to one of our amazing undergraduate researchers, Kristy Trung, for getting into the UGA Vet School! We’re so proud of you and you’re amazing accomplishment!
When science meets art, the result can be breathtaking! @sydels @charlienakatsu
Congratulations to Charlie Nakatsu for becoming a BSRA Fellow!!
What a great opportunity to get large animal experience for Vet School!
One of the best lab crews to ever hold a pipette! Happy holidays! 🎄🎅
A huge congratulations to Moira for being selected as a Franklin Foundation Scholar! What an accomplishment and a transformative research opportunity! Thank you to the Franklin Foundation and UGA BIRC.
Congratulations to Sarah Schantz for being selected for the John and Mary Franklin Foundation travel award!. San Francisco, Neurotrauma 2024 conference here we come!
Christmas. Thanksgiving. RVT week. In that order! @savi.cheek
Because they’re magically delicious! Definitely a throwback to my childhood. The person eating them did think I was a little crazy though taking a picture of their cereal.😜
I had a great time at Yale working with the American Heart Association and other collaborators to develop improvements in hemorrhagic stroke care. Lots of exciting working and progress in the field to help patients! #aha
Another great meeting focused around helping the ~3 million people that visit the emergency department every year with a traumatic brain injury. 13th Annual Traumatic Brain Injury conference.