Monk Lab

Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator: Kelly Monk
When thinking of cells in the nervous system, most people first consider neurons. Yet diverse non-neuronal cells called glia represent at least half of cells in the human brain. Although glia have been historically understudied compared to neurons, it is clear that proper nervous system function depends on the coordinated activity of both neurons and glia. The long-term goal of our research is to understand the genetic, cellular, and molecular mechanisms that govern glial cell biology and to dissect how neuron-glial and glial-glial interactions contribute to nervous system development and function. We are particularly interested in myelinating glia — the subset of glia in both the central and peripheral nervous systems that generate myelin.
Myelin is the multilayered membrane that insulates and protects axons in the vertebrate nervous system. Whereas myelin has been historically considered in the context of its key role in facilitating fast impulse propagation, this view is rapidly expanding, with myelin and myelinating glia also playing diverse and essential functions in nervous system development, plasticity, health, disease, and repair. However, despite its importance, the mechanisms that form, maintain, and regenerate myelin are incompletely understood. Moreover, how myelination is impacted by experience and how myelinating glia contribute to plasticity and behavior are almost completely mysterious. We use a combination of genetic and cellular approaches in zebrafish and mouse models to dissect the mechanisms that control glial cell biology and functional interactions between glia and neurons.
Current lab members
Jiakun Chen
Postdoctoral Fellow
chenjia@ohsu.edu
Fernanda Coelho
Senior Research Associate and Lab Manager
coelho@ohsu.edu
Hannah Collins
NGP Graduate Student
collinha@ohsu.edu
Ryan Doan
NGP Graduate Student
doanr@ohsu.edu
Austin Forbes
Research Associate
forbesa@ohsu.edu
Grace Halsell-Vore
Research Assistant 2
halsellv@ohsu.edu
Jiaxing Li
Postdoctoral Fellow
lijia@ohsu.edu
Amit Mogha
Senior Research Associate
mogha@ohsu.edu
Rory Morgan
Postdoctoral Fellow
morgaror@ohsu.edu
Tyrell Simkins
Multiple Sclerosis/Neuroimmunology Fellow
simkinst@ohsu.edu
Monk Lab group photo 2018

Front row: Jiaxing Li, Fernanda Coelho, Kelly Monk
Back row: Austin Forbes, Rory Morgan, Jiakun Chen, Amit Mogha
Contact information
Lab phone number
503-494-2980
Lab location
Vollum Room 3427
Lab manager
Fernanda Coelho
Faculty support
Jennifer Beck
Assistant to the Director and Co-Director
becje@ohsu.edu
Phone: 503-494-2805
Fax: 503-494-4590
Mailing address
Kelly Monk Lab
Vollum Institute, OHSU
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd.
Mail code L474 (regular mail)
Dock 4, Vollum Rm. 3427 (express mail)
Portland, OR 97239-3098