Dr Thomas Lao
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Biomedical Sciences
Thomas is part of the Ruitenberg group which studies Neurotrauma.
He first joined the Ruitenberg Group as a Honours student in 2012. He returned in 2016 as a PhD student to investigate the potential of stem/progenitor cell-based strategies for spinal cord repair.
Journal Articles
Alexander, Kylie A., Tseng, Hsu-Wen, Lao, Hong Wa, Girard, Dorothée, Barbier, Valérie, Ungerer, Jacobus P. J., McWhinney, Brett C., Samuel, Selwin G., Fleming, Whitney, Winkler, Ingrid G., Salga, Marjorie, Genêt, François, Banzet, Sébastien, Ruitenberg, Marc J. and Lévesque, Jean-Pierre (2024). A glucocorticoid spike derails muscle repair to heterotopic ossification after spinal cord injury. Cell Reports Medicine, 5 (12) 101849, 101849. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101849
Gillespie, Ellen R., Grice, Laura F., Courtney, Isabel G., Lao, Hong Wa, Jung, Woncheol, Ramkomuth, Sonny, Xie, Jacky, Brown, David A., Walsham, James, Radford, Kristen J., Nguyen, Quan H. and Ruitenberg, Marc J. (2024). Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals peripheral blood leukocyte responses to spinal cord injury in mice with humanised immune systems. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 21 (1) 63, 1-20. doi: 10.1186/s12974-024-03048-0
Foster, Victoria, Saez, Natalie, Gillespie, Ellen, Jogia, Trisha, Reid, Chantelle, Maljevic, Snezana, Jung, Woncheol, Lao, Hong W., Ruitenberg, Marc Jan and King, Glen (2023). Genetic or pharmacological ablation of acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is not neuroprotective in a mouse model of spinal cord injury. Journal of Neurotrauma, 41 (9-10), 1007-1019. doi: 10.1089/neu.2022.0295
Brennan, Faith H., Gordon, Richard, Lao, Hong W., Biggins, Patrick J., Taylor, Stephen M., Franklin, Robin J. M., Woodruff, Trent M. and Ruitenberg, Marc J. (2015). The complement receptor C5aR controls acute inflammation and astrogliosis following spinal cord injury. Journal of Neuroscience, 35 (16), 6517-6531. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5218-14.2015
Blomster, Linda V., Brennan, Faith H., Lao, Hong W., Harle, David W., Harvey, Alan R. and Ruitenberg, Marc J. (2013). Mobilisation of the splenic monocyte reservoir and peripheral CX(3)CR1 deficiency adversely affects recovery from spinal cord injury. Experimental Neurology, 247, 226-240. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2013.05.002
Conference Papers
Alexander, Kylie, Tseng, Hsu-Wen, Girard, Dorothee, Barbier, Valerie, Lao, Hong Wa, Samuel, Selwin G., Ungerer, Jacobus P. J., McWhinney, Brett C., Fleming, Whitney, Salga, Marjorie, Genet, Francois, Ruitenberg, Mark J., Banzet, Sebastien and Levesque, Jean-Pierre (2024). Endogenous glucocorticoids promote neurogenic heterotopic ossification after spinal cord injury and glucocorticoid receptor antagonist treatment prevents their development. 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), Toronto, ON, Canada, 27-30 September 2024. Cary, NC, United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/jbmr/zjae183
Ruitenberg, Marc J., Brennan, Faith H., Gordon, Richard, Blomster, Linda V., Lao, Hong Wa, Cowin, Gary J., Taylor, Stephen M. and Woodruff, Trent M. (2014). Acute Antagonism of the Complement Anaphylatoxin Receptor C5Ar Improves the Outcome From Experimental Spinal Cord Injury. 11th Symposium of the International-Neurotrauma-Society, Budapest, Hungary, 19-23 March 2014. New Rochelle, NY United States: Mary Ann Liebert.