CRTD welcomes Prof. Catherina Becker

Prof. Catherina Becker joins the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD). Her research group studies mechanisms of regeneration of the central nervous system. 

What is the research focus of your group?
Our lab is investigating how the spinal cord develops and is repaired after an injury. The spinal cord is essential for controlling the movement of our muscles. Damage to the spinal cord very often results in loss of mobility and other symptoms that dramatically change quality of life. Humans cannot regenerate their spinal cord but some vertebrates such as fish and salamanders can. I want to understand how these animals accomplish this complex task and I hope to find repair mechanisms that may also be relevant to non-regenerating species like us.

Looking at your CV, it seems that regeneration has been the central focus of your research from quite early on, wasn’t it?
Yes, indeed. After getting my Diplom (German equivalent of Master of Science) in the genetics of breast cancer I joined the Brain Research Institute at the University of Bremen. In my doctoral project I studied development and regeneration of the optic system in frogs and salamanders under the supervision of Prof. Gerhard Roth.

Like fishes, frogs and salamanders can repair damage to their optic nerves and therefore can be used to uncover the mechanisms of such repair. Ever since my doctoral thesis I have been fascinated by the ability of fish, frogs, and salamanders to repair their central nervous system and recover its function, something that does not happen in humans.

What where the next steps after you defended your doctoral thesis?
After my PhD, I continued to research regeneration. First, I joined Prof. Melitta Schachner’s group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich as a postdoc. I was granted an EMBO long-term fellowship to work on cell adhesion molecules in three systems: the salamander optic nerve, fish spinal cord, and the rat hippocampus. The publications on the latter two systems are still my most cited papers today!

From Switzerland, I went to the University of California at Irvine for a second postdoc. I joined the group of Prof. Ron Meyer and worked on regeneration of the optic projection in zebrafish.

When did you start working on spinal cord regeneration full time?
In 1998, my husband and I joined the Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH) in Hamburg. I continued working on the zebrafish spinal cord, this time funded by a habilitation fellowship from the DFG. My research was also partially funded by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation – a charity led by the well-known Superman-actor, himself paralyzed from the shoulders down after a horse riding accident.

Working at the ZMNH we developed a method to suppress gene expression after nerve injury, which allowed us to determine the function of individual genes in successful regeneration. In 2005, we moved to Scotland, where I took up a Senior Lectureship at the University of Edinburgh and have been up to now. As you can see, with a few detours my career has revolved around repair of the central nervous system.

Over the years, what are the findings that you are most proud of?
Our group characterized the neurons in the zebrafish brain that connect to the motor neurons in the spinal cord. These connections propagate the signal from the brain and let the motor neurons move the muscles. We have shown which of these connections can regrow after injury. We have identified genes that are essential for the growth of axons – the nerve extensions that interconnect nerve cells in order to transmit electric signals.

Another important discovery was that of stem cells in the zebrafish spinal cord. We have shown that these stem cells replace lost neurons after injury, and we have identified the signals that trigger these stem cell to function.

Recently, we have found that the immune system plays an active role in repair after a spinal cord injury. It acts on stem cells and also on the rewiring of the spinal cord. We have identified the signals that are important in this process in the fish. At the moment, we are collaborating with colleagues working with mice to assess whether our findings are relevant in other species as well, and to potentially translate them into therapies.

What are your interests outside science?
I love to cycle and walk through the gorgeous hills in and around Edinburgh.  I also go swimming almost every day. Apart from that, I like to read – usually crime novels, to balance the scientific literature.

After over 15 years you are now leaving Edinburgh to move to Dresden. Are you going to miss anything about Edinburgh?
In addition to friends and colleagues, I am definitely going to miss the Farmers’ Market on Castle Terrace. Many of the vendors have become friends. I am also going to miss the cycle and hill walking tours around here, but I am really looking forward to explore the Sächsische Schweiz.

How big is your group? How many people will move to Dresden with you?
We have a fabulous core team already in place. I am moving with my husband and co-Investigator Dr. Thomas Becker and postdoc Dr. Ana-Maria Oprişoreanu. We have appointed a doctoral student, Luisa Scucces, and a technician, Daniela Zöller. We are currently hiring further postdocs, PhD students, and technicians for our group in Dresden. We will continue to supervise a group of two postdocs and five doctoral students in Edinburgh for now, but at least one of them will join us in the next year to finish her degree.

What made you decide to move to Dresden and join CRTD?
Dresden has always been close to my heart. I have often spoken at scientific meetings here. Fun fact – back in November 2011 the institute’s director Prof. Michael Brand invited me to be the first external speaker in the new CRTD building. Over the years I have been able to follow the research accomplishments at the CRTD very closely, because I have been the chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the institute since 2017.

I think that the CRTD has highly effective structures in place to attract the next generation of scientists to regeneration research. There are numerous opportunities for research synergies within the CMCB and the neighboring institutes in the Johannstadt campus. In fact, I’m already collaborating with Prof. Matthias Kirsch and Dr. Ortrud Uckermann at the University Hospital.

All these factors were very important in my decision to move here. I am really looking forward to joining and contributing to the vibrant scientific community in Dresden!