With world-class biomedical research in life and engineering sciences, the Institute of Neural Regeneration and Tissue Engineering focuses on research, development, and analysis using several integrated approaches to solve the world's most challenging problems in neurological disease and injury. This incorporates several highly technical fields, from neuroscience, molecular biology, and biochemistry to physics, engineering, and mathematics. The mechanisms of synaptogenesis, neural differentiation, and neurotransmission are complex, and regenerative approaches to neural injury and disease will require a synthesis of many innovative ideas in order to guide functional restoration of neural tissue. Our core research focuses on the following categories:

• Neural regeneration in 3-dimensional (3D) tissue cultures and reconstruction of neurodevelopmental events on a cellular and molecular level using neuronal cultures and stem cell differentiation.
• Development of functional 3D neural tissue constructs with nano-patterned scaffolding to replicate actual neuroanatomical pathways and networks in the brain and spinal cord.
• Novel approaches to treating traumatic brain and spinal cord injury in the acute and chronic stages.
• Discovery of neuroprotective mechanisms to prevent neuron death and investigation of the pathophysiology of stroke, ischemia, and excitotoxicity in order to better understand and treat these events.
• Approaches to neuroregeneration, neuromodulation, and neurotransplantation in neurodegenerative and neurodysfunctional diseases (including Parkinson's, Huntington's, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, movement disorders, dystonias, cerebral palsy, chronic pain, etc.).
• Development of novel neural interfaces and neural prosthetics.
• Mathematical modeling of neural networks and nutrient diffusion in neural tissue constructs.

The Centre for Neural Physics and Engineering has also been created to explore physical and mathematical concepts of memory, thought, and consciousness, including theories that cross disciplines of physics, mathematics, computer science, and philosophy.