Laura Hokum Stone

Ph.D. 2014

Thesis Title:

Amelioration of Ischemic Brain Injury with Human Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells:  Mechanisms of Action

Current Position:

Senior Research Associate, non-clinical applications specialist, University of Minnesota

Previous Position:

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota

Undergraduate Institution and Major/Degree:

St. Olaf College, B.A. Biology, Neuroscience concentration 2007

Major Advisor(s):

Walter Low, Ph.D.

Research Description:

My research focuses on investigating the potential of adult stem cells – namely non-hematopoetic umbilical cord blood derived stem cells – as a treatment for ischemic stroke. These cells not only have the potential to reduce stroke injury, but also to ameliorate the injury caused by stroke at a later time point than any other currently available stroke treatments. A second focus of my research is the characterization of changes that occur with aging that correspond to, or may act as predictors of, poor outcome following ischemic stroke. I am currently in the process of validating the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics to identify changes in the metabolome profile before and after ischemic stroke in the rat, as well as comparing metabolite changes between serum and brain tissue in the rat following stroke.

Publications:

  • Hocum Stone LL, Xiao F, Rotschafer J, Nan Z, Juliano M, Sanberg CD, Sanberg PR, Kuzmin-Nichols N, Grande A, Cheeran MC, Low WC. Amelioration of ischemic brain  injury in rats with human umbilical cord blood stem sells: Mechanisms of action. Cell Transplant. 2016;25:1473-1488.
  • Holley CT, Long EK, Butterick TA, Duffy CM, Lindsey ME, Stone LH, McFalls EO, Kelly RF. Mitochondrial fusion proteins in revascularized hibernating hearts. J Surg Res. 2015;195:29-36. 
  • Stone LL, Grande A, Low WC. Neural repair and neuroprotection with stem cells in ischemic stroke. Brain Sci. 2013;3:599-614.
  • Stone LL, Low WC, and Grande A. Stem cell therapies for ischemic stroke. In: Stem Cells in Neurogenerative Disease. Ed.: L Lescaudron, J Rossignol, and GL Dunbar, CRC Press, London, UK, pgs. 142-156, 2014.
  • Misra V, Ritchie MM, Stone LL, Low WC, Janardhan V. Stem cell therapy in ischemic stroke: Role of intravenous and intraarterial therapy. Neurology. 2012;79(13 Suppl 1):S207-12. 
  • Wyckhuys KA, Stone L, Desneux N, Hoelmer KA, Hopper KR, Heimpel GE. Parasitism of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines by Binodoxys communis: the role of aphid defensive behavior and parasitoid reproductive performance.Bull Entomol Res. 2008;98:361-370. 

Invited Talks:

  • Stone, LL. Intra-Venous Administration of High and Low Passaged Non-Hematopoietic Human Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells (nh-UCBSC) as a Novel Therapy for Ischemic Stroke. Invited speaker, American Society of Neural Therapy and Repair Annual Meeting, April 2012.
  • Stone LL. Identification of serum biomarkers of ischemic stroke using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Invited speaker, Aging and Neurobiology of Disease Spring Symposium at the University of Minnesota. April, 2011.
  • Stone LL. Identification of serum biomarkers of ischemic stroke using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Invited speaker, Gordon-Kenan Research Seminar on Oxidative Stress and Disease, March 2011.
  • Stone LL. Identification of serum biomarkers of ischemic stroke using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Graduate Program in Neuroscience Colloquium, Spring 2011.
  • Stone LL. NMR Spectroscopy and Ischemic Stroke. Graduate Program in Neuroscience Colloquium. Spring 2010.

Honors:

  • NIH Pharmaco-Neuro Immunology Training Grant, Trainee Summer 2013-2014
  • Student Travel Award for the American Society of Neural Therapy and Repair Annual Meeting, 2012.
  • The Stark Award for Advanced Scholarship, 2011.
  • NIH Functional Proteomics of Aging Training Grant, 2009 to 2011.

Lab Rotations:

  • Al Beitz
  • Matt Chafee
  • Walter Low

Courses Taken Beyond the Core Courses:

  • NSU 5667 - Neurobiology in Disease
  • CMB 8335 - Molecular Biology Techniques
  • GERO 5105 - Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Aging
  • GERO 5110 - Biology of Aging
  • GERO 8020 - Gerontology Seminar
  • GERO 5101 - Milestones in the Biology of Aging

Graduate Level Minor:

  • Gerontology

Conferences Attended and Presentations:

  • Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, 2007
  • American Heart Association Stroke Conference, 2010
  • Gordon-Kenan Research Seminar: Oxidative Stress and Disease, March 2011
  • Gordon-Kenan Research Seminar: Common Threads in Oxidative Stress and Disease, March 2011
  • International Neural Therapy and Repair Meeting: May 2011
  • American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair Meeting: April 2012

Committee Members:

  • Alvin Beitz - Chair
  • Walter Low - Advisor
  • Jan Dubinsky
  • LaDora Thompson
Laura Stone