As a neurobiologist, Dr. Proschel is using embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells to study the role of astrocytes in diseases of the brain, such as Vanishing White Matter diseases and Parkinson’s Disease. By exploiting new stem cell technologies, his lab is also developing cell therapeutic approaches that use astrocytes, a specific type of glial cell, for the treatment of traumatic and degenerative diseases of the brain. The Proschel lab is part of the University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute.