Karl Schaller

Function: Professeur ordinaire

Group name: Geneva Neuro-glia-vascular Lab

Group type: Main

Affiliations: Faculty of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Department of Clinical Neurosciences

Keywords: brain injury, glia, neuroprotection, stroke

Research activities

The main interest of our lab is to better understand the neuro-glia-vascular physiology in the normal and pathological brain. Our research focuses on the 3 most important cell types in the brain: neuron, astrocyte and endothelial cell. These cells are affected after stroke or brain trauma. Our aim is to investigate how these cells interacts using in vitro and in vivo models. This understanding is important for the development of new neuroprotective and restorative therapies. The group of Prof K. Schaller is comprised of three teams working on specific aspects of the neuro-glio-vascular unit. (Dr Bijlenga’s team, interested in intracellular calcium modifications in neurones and glia during ischemia ; Dr Badaut’s team, the role of the astrocyte in the brain water and energy homeostasis ; Dr da Silva’s team, the role of L-arginine/arginase pathway in the autocrine and paracrine regulation of the cell types present in the neuromuscular unit ; Dr Schatlo, investigating molecular mechanisms of brain damage following cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage and stroke.)

Group website