My lab investigates the roles of early inflammation in tissue damage and wound healing following spinal cord injury. We employ genetic and pharmacological methods to study how immune receptors (e.g. L-selection) and signaling pathways alter the accumulation and activation of early arriving immune cells, predominantly neutrophils. We are also developing new three-dimensional imaging strategies to characterize inflammation and tissue damage after spinal cord injury. Utilizing tissue clearing techniques and lightsheet microscopy, we can visualize the spatiotemporal effects of spinal cord injury in a manner previously unachievable with traditional imaging modalities. With the knowledge gained from these studies, we aim to develop novel neuroprotective strategies to reduce inflammatory damage and improve long-term recovery for the spinal cord injured patient.

1. Reid, SK, Leal-Garcia, ME, Tran, AV, Rehtmeyer, NT, Shirvaikar, IS, Kirchhoff, MA et al.. Recombinant human DNase treatment mitigates extracellular trap mediated damage and improves long-term recovery after spinal cord injury in male mice. Brain Behav Immun. 2025; :. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2025.04.033. PubMed PMID:40268066 .
2. Tucker, A, Baltazar, A, Eisdorfer, JT, Thackray, JK, Vo, K, Thomas, H et al.. Functional synaptic connectivity of engrafted spinal cord neurons with locomotor circuitry in the injured spinal cord. bioRxiv. 2025; :. doi: 10.1101/2025.04.05.644402. PubMed PMID:40236108 PubMed Central PMC11996546.
3. Jensen, VN, Huffman, EE, Jalufka, FL, Pritchard, AL, Baumgartner, S, Walling, I et al.. V2a neurons restore diaphragm function in mice following spinal cord injury. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024;121 (11):e2313594121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2313594121. PubMed PMID:38442182 PubMed Central PMC10945804.
4. Aceves, M, Tucker, A, Chen, J, Vo, K, Moses, J, Amar Kumar, P et al.. Publisher Correction: Developmental stage of transplanted neural progenitor cells influences anatomical and functional outcomes after spinal cord injury in mice. Commun Biol. 2023;6 (1):635. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-05018-3. PubMed PMID:37311793 PubMed Central PMC10264442.
5. Aceves, M, Tucker, A, Chen, J, Vo, K, Moses, J, Amar Kumar, P et al.. Developmental stage of transplanted neural progenitor cells influences anatomical and functional outcomes after spinal cord injury in mice. Commun Biol. 2023;6 (1):544. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-04893-0. PubMed PMID:37208439 PubMed Central PMC10199026.
6. Ni, N, Jalufka, FL, Fang, X, McCreedy, DA, Li, Q. Role of EZH2 in Uterine Gland Development. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23 (24):. doi: 10.3390/ijms232415665. PubMed PMID:36555314 PubMed Central PMC9779349.
7. Jalufka, FL, Min, SW, Platt, ME, Pritchard, AL, Margo, TE, Vernino, AO et al.. Hydrophobic and Hydrogel-Based Methods for Passive Tissue Clearing. Methods Mol Biol. 2022;2440 :197-209. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2051-9_12. PubMed PMID:35218541 .
8. Van Sandt, RL, Welsh, CJ, Jeffery, ND, Young, CR, McCreedy, DA, Wright, GA et al.. Circulating neutrophil activation in dogs with naturally occurring spinal cord injury secondary to intervertebral disk herniation. Am J Vet Res. 2022;83 (4):324-330. doi: 10.2460/ajvr.21.05.0073. PubMed PMID:35066481 .
9. McCreedy, DA, Abram, CL, Hu, Y, Min, SW, Platt, ME, Kirchhoff, MA et al.. Spleen tyrosine kinase facilitates neutrophil activation and worsens long-term neurologic deficits after spinal cord injury. J Neuroinflammation. 2021;18 (1):302. doi: 10.1186/s12974-021-02353-2. PubMed PMID:34952603 PubMed Central PMC8705173.
10. Gibbs, HC, Mota, SM, Hart, NA, Min, SW, Vernino, AO, Pritchard, AL et al.. Navigating the Light-Sheet Image Analysis Software Landscape: Concepts for Driving Cohesion From Data Acquisition to Analysis. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021;9 :739079. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.739079. PubMed PMID:34858975 PubMed Central PMC8631767.