Zarife Sahenk, MD, PhD, is the Director of Clinical and Experimental Neuromuscular Pathology at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and a Professor of Pathology and Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Her research aims to define the anatomical and molecular basis of hereditary peripheral neuropathies, emphasizing the role of trophic factors secreted by Schwann cells in regeneration-associated myelination. The role of neurotrophin-3 in nerve regeneration in patients and animal models of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is currently under investigation. These studies are relevant to understanding the mechanism of axonal loss and impaired regeneration in CMT disorders and developing rational therapies to promote nerve repair.
Publications*:
Acharyya S, Villalta SA, Bakkar N, Janssen PM, Carathers M, Li ZW, Beg AA, Ghosh S, Sahenk Z, et al. Interplay of IKK/NF-kappaB signaling in macrophages and myofibers promotes muscle degeneration in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Journal of Clinical Investigation 117: 889-901, 2007.
Research Funding*:
Evaluating the Potential Efficacy of trkB, trkC Receptor Agonists and Their Combination in a Mouse Model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, Anonymous
*Physician publications, awards and honors, and presentations and teaching activities represent work completed in 2007 only.