Parr Lab

Ann Parr working with members of her lab team

As a board-certified neurosurgeon and head of the Parr Laboratory, Dr. Ann Parr brings a unique perspective to her work in human spinal cord injury (SCI). The overall goal of her lab’s research is to develop new therapies for SCI. The lab team is most interested in studying the unmet needs of those with chronic spinal cord injury as any advances would have significant impact. The long-term goal is for their research to culminate in treatments that are clinically available.

With their long-term goal in mind, the Parr Laboratory team has discovered novel methods of producing human autologous, regionally specific spinal neural progenitor cells and is exploring how these mediate functional recovery after transplantation into an injured spinal cord. There is increasing evidence, however, that these cells alone may not be sufficient, requiring a multi-modal approach.

To that end, the lab partners with the Spinal Cord Society, a nonprofit organization that has provided equipment, knowledge, and expertise. The partnership has enabled the Parr Lab to develop several strategies. One example is using a novel scar ablation technique in combination with the lab’s human autologous, regionally specific spinal neural progenitor cells, a unique scaffold developed in collaboration with the U of M’s McAlpine Research Group, and transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation to examine interactions among these therapies in a rodent model.

Parr Lab Photo Collage
Published Papers
Team Members

Dr. Nandadevi Patil
Anne Huntemer-Silveira
Angelique (Angie) Bernik 
Yi Wen Chai
Amanda Vegoe

Funded Projects
  • “Modulation of BDNF Signaling by the Neurosecretory Protein VGF Mediates Spinal Neuroplasticity,” Department of Defense, 08/01/2020 – 07/31/2024. The goal of this project is to examine the relationship of TLQP-62 and BDNF in spinal neuroplasticity and how it is regulated during the transition to chronic pain
  • “Autologous Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells for Transplantation in Spinal Cord Injury,” 2011-indefinite. The goal of this project is to develop autologous, clinically relevant human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and to perform pre-clinical testing in a rat model of spinal cord injury
  • “Teaching Transplanted Neurons to Function,” Minnesota Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Grant Program, 07/01/2018 – 06/30/2021. The goal of this project is to transplant our sNPCs into a rat model of chronic SCI in combination with transcutaneous epidural stimulation
  • “Optogenetics to Stimulate the Corticospinal Tract,” Minnesota Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Grant Program, 07/01/2018 – 06/30/2021. The goal of this project is to stimulate the motor cortex of our rat model of SCI to determine whether this will promote axonal growth and neuroplasticity
  • “iOptimize,” Minnesota Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Grant Program, 07/01/2018 – 06/30/2021. The goal of this project is to extend our experience with epidural stimulation in humans (ESTAND) to map the human spinal cord
  • “ESTAND,” Minnesota Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Grant Program, 07/01/2018 – 06/30/2021. The goal of this project is to utilize epidural stimulation to improve functional outcomes after chronic spinal cord injury.
Collaborators
Funding Sources
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