The Giger lab a long-standing interest in the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate regenerative growth and plasticity of neurons in the naïve and injured mammalian CNS. The main focus of our research is on neuron-glia interactions: Over the past decade we have identified novel receptor mechanisms for CNS regeneration inhibitors and characterized their function in CNS health and following traumatic injury. To study gene function in vivo, we use a combination of transgenic mice and viral vector mediated gene transfer into specific brain regions. The laboratory is fully equipped and has the know-how to carry out axon regeneration and white matter lesion repair studies in wild-type and genetically engineered mice.  Ongoing work is aimed at understanding how specific aspects of innate immunity influence astrocytes and nervous system repair following optic nerve and spinal cord injury. Over the past decade we have developed a large number of reagents and protocols to study the role of immune cells, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes during axonal growth and remyelination.