In this episode of A Moment with Dalton, we talk with Hassan Al-Ali, Ph.D., M.S.M., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery and Medicine. Dr. Al-Ali and his team focus on understanding the signaling pathways that regulate axon growth, and identifying components of those pathways that can be targeted with drugs to induce robust axon regeneration. He talks with Dr. Dietrich about how his team is using machine learning and biotechnology platforms to discover and develop therapeutic candidates, which may one day be used in the clinic to treat spinal cord injury and other nervous system disorders. Watch the entire interview below.
Dr. Hassan Al-Ali’s research at The Miami Project focuses on understanding the signaling pathways that regulate axon growth, and identifying components of those pathways that can be targeted with drugs to induce robust axon regeneration. Central nervous system (CNS) neurons lack the ability to regenerate their axons, which substantially hampers functional recovery from CNS injuries. The etiology of the problem is complex and mediated by multiple signaling pathways. This necessitates engaging more than one drug target to achieve clinically significant regeneration. However, identifying just one target is difficult, and finding a single drug that engages multiple targets is even more challenging.