Contact

128-745 Bannatyne Avenue
Winnipeg, MB  R3E 0J9
Email: sari.hannila@med.umanitoba.ca
Telephone:  (204) 789-3229
Fax:  (204) 789-3920      

Biography

Originally from Sudbury, Ontario, and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Life Sciences from Queen’s University in 1999.  She then completed her PhD in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Queen’s under the supervision of Dr. Michael Kawaja.  Prior to joining the University of Manitoba in July, 2010, Dr. Hannila worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Marie T. Filbin at Hunter College in New York City.  

Research – Neurobiology and Spinal Cord Injury

It is well known that the spinal cord does not regenerate after injury, and this leads to permanent disability.  My laboratory studies the factors that cause regeneration to fail, and tests new treatments that could be used to enhance axon growth and improve function after spinal cord injury.  We are currently working with a protein called secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) that has produced promising results in animal models.  SLPI has not been widely studied in the nervous system, and so, we are also examining SLPI’s role in axonal development and regulation of neuronal gene expression.  In addition, we plan to study SLPI in models of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.      

Accepting Graduate Students YES
Open for Collaboration YES
Open for Commercialization NO