Adam D. Bachstetter, PhD

My research is focused on understanding neuron-glia interactions that underlie complex diseases. Glia are exquisitely sensitive to pathological changes in the brain, and undergo reactive responses that are heterogenous and highly regulated. There are many supportive interactions between glia and the other cell types that maintain healthy CNS function. When glia become reactive, the supportive homeostatic functions can be lost in favor of reactive functions. Thus, maintaining the balance between supportive functions and reactive functions requires precise control over the temporal development of various glial responses after injury or in disease. Either abnormal glial responses or abnormal timing of glial responses can have a major impact on whether the outcome leads to clearance/resolution and maintenance of normal CNS function, or conversion to disease pathology. I believe that glia-targeted therapeutics will be an important component of the treatment regimen for neurologic disorders. For glia-targeted therapeutics to become a reality, we need to understand how we can selectively target specific aspects of glia function, as well as when targeting those glia functions will be beneficial for modifying disease outcome. The overall goal of my research is to provide fundamental insights into how specific glia responses modify disease outcome, and find druggable targets amenable to selective modulation of those specific functions. I believe that glia-targeted therapeutics are not only possible, but are imperative for preventing and treating neurological disease. 

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Spinal Cord & Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC)
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
University of Kentucky

741 S. Limestone Street
B459 Biomedical Biological Sciences Research Building (BBSRB)

email: adam.bachstetter@uky.edu