Mousumi Ghosh, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
1095 NW 14th Terrace (R-48)
Miami, FL 33136
(305) 243-9846
Dr. Mousumi Ghosh, a native of India, holds her bachelors and Masters degrees in Chemistry and Microbiology from the University of Poona, India. While an undergraduate, Dr. Ghosh became interested in academic research and graduated with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1997 from University of Calcutta, India. Dr. Ghosh’s postdoctoral training focused on studying cell-signaling mechanisms and protein-protein interactions, both at the molecular and structural level, between the heterotrimeric G proteins and their downstream signaling targets at the University of Rochester, NY, under Prof. Alan V. Smrcka.
Since joining The Miami Project in 2007, initially as a postdoctoral associate with Prof. Damien D. Pearse, she developed a keen interest in developing molecular and pharmacological methods for altering glial cell reactivity and cell-to-cell interactions in response to CNS injury or disease to promote neuroprotection and repair. During this time Dr. Ghosh investigated; 1) the surface modification of Schwann cells to enhance their capacity for migration and axon regeneration following transplantation within the injured spinal cord; 2) microglia phenotypic conversion to alter their inflammatory to reparative properties and; 3) the manipulation of intracellular signaling pathways in astrocytes to abrogate their reactivity and production of axon growth inhibitory matrix molecules, including chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans.
Dr. Ghosh’s research in spinal cord injury repair was recognized by The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation and The American Spinal Injury Association through The Outstanding Young Investigator Award given to her in 2009. In July 2014, Dr. Ghosh joined the faculty in the Department of Neurological Surgery and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis as a Research Assistant Professor.
Altering Host Glial Responses following CNS Injury and Disease to Promote Repair
The present focus of Dr. Ghosh’s laboratory research is on altering the hostile environment of the injured or diseased CNS to one that is conducive to repair through conversion of the immunophenotypic form of microglia and macrophages from a cytotoxic M1 to a reparative M2 state. Specifically her work focuses on delineating the intrinsic and extrinsic signals present after injury that antagonize the conversion of activated microglia and macrophages to a reparative M2 phenotype in experimental models of CNS injury and disease, such spinal cord injury and Multiple Sclerosis. By understanding the signals that govern macrophage-microglia phenotype, she aims to develop novel, molecular, and immuno-pharmacological therapeutic strategies to promote M1 to M2 conversion of these cells to induce neuroprotection, neuroplasticity, and/or disease remission. Her laboratory is also interested in understanding how altering the immunophenotypical profile of macrophages and microglia can affect host glial responses, including the formation of the glial scar and oligodendrocyte migration and myelination as well as influence the ability of transplanted cells, such as Schwann cells and stem cells, to mediate neurorepair. Dr. Ghosh’s long term research goal is to establish this research niche within the fields of Neuroimmunology and glial cell biology and to identify therapies that may improve the lives of people with neurological diseases and injury.
Current Lab Projects include:
- Pharmacological and molecular approaches to reduce inflammation after spinal cord injury
- Understanding the link between the immune response and the development of central neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury
- Innate and humoral responses to cell transplantation after spinal cord injury
- Identifying biochemical and molecular mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis
Visit Dr. Ghosh’s Publication Listing
News Stories
Reducing Damage After Spinal Cord Injury (The Project Fall 2017)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/MEMBERSHIPS
International Society of Neuroimmunology (ISNI)
American Society for Neural Transplantation and Repair (ASNTR)
Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
LAB MEMBERS
