Biography
Dr. Tamara Roitbak is a Research Associated Professor in the UNM Department of Neurology. Roitbak has had a long-standing interest in the role of small molecules microRNAs in regeneration following stroke, with demonstrated research productivity in the field. She has a professional background in neuroscience, cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology.
Dr. Tamara Roitbak started her research training with work in the I. Beritashvili Institute of Physiology (Tbilisi, Georgia). She completed her PhD training in the Institute of Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic. Roitbak?s PhD thesis was entitled ?Changes of Extracellular Space Parameters of the Rat Brain during Reactive Astrogliosis?. In 2019, Roitbak received an Honorary medal from EU Centre of Excellence Institute of Experimental Medicine Acad. Sci. of Czech Republic, for the contribution to the Institute?s success and scientific recognition.
In 2000, Roitbak made a transition to the field of cell biology working as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of New Mexico (UNM). Her research was focused on molecular pathogenesis of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). As a further step, Roitbak was able to discover human adult kidney stem cells, and received a US patent in 2010.
In year 2005, Roitbak joined the UNM Department of Neurosciences where her research was focused on differentiation of neural stem cells and their use in treatment of neurophysiological disorders. In 2009, she was appointed to Research Assistant Professor faculty position. In 2009, Roitbak became a Cobre Junior PI and in the same year, she received funding for her NIH R21 application on the ?The Role of HIF-1 alpha in Vasculotrophic Influence of Neural Stem Cells?. Roitbak?s findings contributed to the knowledge about the therapeutic potential of neural stem cell transplantation following stroke.
In order to establish her career as an independent researcher, Roitbak moved to the UNM Department of Neurosurgery in 2010, and currently joined the UNM Department of Neurology. Her research was and continues to focus mainly on the brain recovery following stroke. Roitbak established her research laboratory, where she has assembled scientific equipment and other resources, necessary to carry her research projects. Roitbak conducts several research projects, which are efficiently accomplished and received several extra- and intramural funding. In August 2013, she received her NIH NINDS R01 grant funding, which allowed her to successfully execute her proposed research project ?In vivo Inhibition of Specific microRNAs to Support Post-Stroke Revascularization?. The objective and long-term goal is to employ regulation of microRNAs as a therapeutic method for stroke treatment. The proposed research is expected to lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for future utilization of microRNA analysis for stroke outcome prediction and therapy.
Personal Statement
Tamara Roitbak's research was and continues to focus mainly on the brain injury and recovery following stroke. Roitbak has been able to establish her research laboratory and conduct several research projects, which received several extra- and intramural funding. In August 2013, she was awarded an NIH NINDS R01 grant funding, which allowed her to successfully execute the proposed research project ?In vivo Inhibition of Specific microRNAs to Support Post-Stroke Revascularization. Currently, Roitbak's research objective is to study the role of specific microRNA in human stroke and establish it as a prognostic marker and a possible therapeutic target for human stroke treatment.
Areas of Specialty
Neuroscience, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Pathology
Achievements & Awards
AWARDS:
1994 British Royal Society (Neuroscience) research and travel fellowship
2002 - 03,04 National Kidney foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
02/2007 Best Poster Award, Stem Cells World Congress, Sand Diego, USA.
08/2010 US Patent ?Human Renal Stem Cells? No 7,776,592, Aug. 17, 2010
09/2019 Honorary medal for the contribution to the Institutes success and scientific
recognition. EU Centre of Excellence Institute of Experimental Medicine Acad. Sci. of Czech Republic
Key Publications
Journal Article
Caballero-Garrido, E, Pena-Philippides, J, C Lordkipanidze, T, Bragin, Denis, Yang, Yi, Erhardt, E, B Roitbak, Tamara, 2015 In Vivo Inhibition of miR-155 Promotes Recovery after Experimental Mouse Stroke. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, vol. 35, Issue 36, 12446-64
Journal Article
Pena-Philippides, J, C Caballero-Garrido, E, Lordkipanidze, T, Roitbak, Tamara, 2016 In vivo inhibition of miR-155 significantly alters post-stroke inflammatory response. Journal of neuroinflammation, vol. 13, Issue 1, 287
Journal Article
Pena-Philippides, J, C Gardiner, Amy, Caballero-Garrido, E, Pan, R, Zhu, Yiliang, Roitbak, Tamara, 2018 Inhibition of MicroRNA-155 Supports Endothelial Tight Junction Integrity Following Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation. Journal of the American Heart Association, vol. 7, Issue 13
Journal Article
Roitbak, Tamara, 2018 Silencing a Multifunctional microRNA Is Beneficial for Stroke Recovery. Frontiers in molecular neuroscience, vol. 11
Journal Article
Roitbak, Tamara, 2020 MicroRNAs and Regeneration in Animal Models of CNS Disorders. Neurochemical research, vol. 45, Issue 1, 188-203
Languages
- some of them including:<br>1) MicroRNAs: roles in regulating neuroinflammation (Journal Neuroscientist)<br>2) Molecular Mechanisms Modulating the Phenotype of Macrophages and Microglia
- Russian
- English
- Czech
- Czech
Research and Scholarship
Roitbak's article in J Neuroscience In vivo inhibition of miR-155 promotes recovery after experimental mouse stroke" was recently cited in 126 articles