Dr Monte Gates

Title: Lecturer in Medicine & Neuroscience
Phone: +44 (0)1782 733875
Email:
Location: Huxley Building : 204a
Role:
Contacting me: Try my office or arrange an appointment by e-mail.

 

Dr Gates is exploring the factors which are likely  to contribute to successful neural grafts and stem cell utilisation in circuits in the brain .

I have a long standing interest in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that facilitate the development of circuits in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), particularly those circuits which (in the adult) can undergo neurodegenerative episodes (e.g., Parkinson's disease) or are disrupted/destroyed by common traumatic injuries (e.g., spinal cord injury).  If we can identify cells, genes or gene products that facilitate and guide the growth of specific neural circuits during development we might be able to exploit these factors to improve the integration, connectivity and functioning of stem/primary/neural stem cell transplants to the adult CNS, or facilitate the regenerative capacity of neurons remaining in the afflicted system.

Recently, I have begun highlighting tissues/cells in the developing CNS which attract (or repel) nigro-striatal axonal growth via a novel culture explant system which allows me establish a segement of the dopaminergic circuit in vitro.  The advantage of this system is that I am able to manipulate axonal growth in vitro and determine the spatial and temporal localization of chemoattractive and chemorepulsive cues that guide nigro-striatal axons during circuitry formation.  Currently I am using gene arrays to discern the particular genes involved in these effects and hope to identify constituents which may be exploited to manipulate circuitry formation in vivo, or increase connectivity of cell transplants to the adult brain.

 

Selected Publications

  • Tailor J, Kittappa R, Leto K, Gates M, Borel M, Paulsen O, Spitzer S, Karadottir RT, Rossi F, Falk A, Smith A. 2013. Stem cells expanded from the human embryonic hindbrain stably retain regional specification and high neurogenic potency. J Neurosci, vol. 33(30), 12407-12422. link> doi>
  • Fricker RA, Kuiper JH, Gates MA. 2012. Transplanting intact donor tissue enhances dopamine cell survival and the predictability of motor improvements in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. PLoS One, vol. 7(10), e47169. link> doi>
  • Orme RP, Gates MA, Fricker-Gates RA. 2010. A multiplexed quantitative proteomics approach for investigating protein expression in the developing central nervous system. J Neurosci Methods, vol. 191(1), 75-82. link> doi>
  • Fricker-Gates RA and Gates MA. 2010. Stem cell-derived dopamine neurons for brain repair in Parkinson's disease. Regen Med, vol. 5(2), 267-278. link> doi>
  • Jozwiak A, Gates MA, Liu Y, Yang Y. 2010. A novel technology and stereotactic accessory for implanting engineered tissues, cells, and scaffold materials into the brain. Tissue Eng Part C Methods, vol. 16(3), 469-470. link> doi>

Full Publications List show

Journal Articles

  • Tailor J, Kittappa R, Leto K, Gates M, Borel M, Paulsen O, Spitzer S, Karadottir RT, Rossi F, Falk A, Smith A. 2013. Stem cells expanded from the human embryonic hindbrain stably retain regional specification and high neurogenic potency. J Neurosci, vol. 33(30), 12407-12422. link> doi>
  • Fricker RA, Kuiper JH, Gates MA. 2012. Transplanting intact donor tissue enhances dopamine cell survival and the predictability of motor improvements in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. PLoS One, vol. 7(10), e47169. link> doi>
  • Orme RP, Gates MA, Fricker-Gates RA. 2010. A multiplexed quantitative proteomics approach for investigating protein expression in the developing central nervous system. J Neurosci Methods, vol. 191(1), 75-82. link> doi>
  • Fricker-Gates RA and Gates MA. 2010. Stem cell-derived dopamine neurons for brain repair in Parkinson's disease. Regen Med, vol. 5(2), 267-278. link> doi>
  • Jozwiak A, Gates MA, Liu Y, Yang Y. 2010. A novel technology and stereotactic accessory for implanting engineered tissues, cells, and scaffold materials into the brain. Tissue Eng Part C Methods, vol. 16(3), 469-470. link> doi>
  • Orme R, Fricker-Gates RA, Gates MA. 2009. Ontogeny of substantia nigra dopamine neurons. J Neural Transm Suppl, 3-18. link> doi>
  • GATES MA, Bagga V, Monville C, Torres M. 2007. Improved survival of young donor age dopamine grafts in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Neuroscience, vol. 146(4), 1606-1617. doi>
  • GATES MA, Fricker-Gates RA, Torres E, White A. 2006. Re-examining the ontogeny of substantia nigra dopamine neurons. European Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 23(5), 1384-1390. doi>
  • GATES MA, Coupe VM, Fricker-Gates RA, Torres EM. 2004. Spatially and temporally restricted chemoattractive and chemorepulsive cues direct the formation of the nigro-striatal circuit. European Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 19(4), 831-844. doi>
  • Fricker-Gates RA, White A, Gates MA, Dunnett SB. 2004. Striatal neurons in striatal grafts are derived from both post-mitotic cells and dividing progenitors. Eur J of Neurosci, vol. 19, 513-520.
  • GATES MA and Dunnett SB. 2001. The influence of astrocytes on the development, regeneration and reconstruction of the nigrostriatal dopamine system. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience , vol. 19(1-2), 67-83.
  • Gates MA, Tai CC, Macklis JD. 2000. Abnormal differentiation and process elongation by TrKB deficient neocortical neurons in vitro and in vivo. Neurosci, vol. 98, 437-447.

Chapters

  • GATES MA, Dunnett SB, Torres EM, Fricker-Gates RA. 2006. Neural Transplantation. In Handbook of Experimental Neurology: Methods and Techniques in Animal Research. Tatlisumak T and Fisher M (Eds.). Cambridge University Press.
  • GATES MA, Fricker RA, Macklis JD. 2001. Neocortical neural transplantation. In Progress in Brain Research: Functional Neural Transplantation 2nd Edition. Bjorklund A and Dunnett S (Eds.). Elsevier.