Profile: Ben Barres
Neurobiologist Ben Barres may have a successful career, but he knows exactly what discrimination looks like. And over the years, he has learned to fight back.
Biomedical philanthropy, Silicon Valley style
Entrepreneurs who made their fortunes in high technology are now giving money away to fund biomedical research. These new philanthropists are sending a breath of fresh air through the labs they support, says Trisha Gura.
Neurobiology: Inhibitor of neurite outgrowth in humans
Axons are generally believed to be incapable of regeneration in the adult central nervous system. Inhibition results from physical barriers imposed by glial scars, a lack of neurotrophic factors, and growth-inhibitory molecules associated with myelin, the insulating axon sheath. These molecules include proteoglycans, myelin-associated glycoprotein and, in bovine brain, two proteins called Nogo. We have used this bovine sequence to identify the human Nogo gene and have isolated complementary DNA clones encoding three different Nogo isoforms that are potent inhibitors of neurite outgrowth and which may help block the regeneration of the central nervous system in adults.