Biology Weekly Seminar - Brian Ciruna

Understanding the origins of idiopathic scoliosis: a twisted ‘tail' of cilia and cerebrospinal fluid flow defects.

Recently, Brian Ciruna’s lab generated and characterized the first genetically defined zebrafish models of idiopathic scoliosis, which exhibit defining attributes of human disease. They have also demonstrated a role for motile cilia-driven cerebrospinal fluid flow in normal spine morphogenesis, implicating irregularities in CSF flow as a biological cause of idiopathic-like spinal curvature. Identifying specific mechanisms that drive spinal curve initiation and progression, remains a key focus of his research program.