Public Health and Health Professions
Fuller Lab
Led by David Fuller · Physical Therapy
What we study
The Fuller Lab studies respiratory neuromuscular control and rehabilitation, focusing on gene therapy, electrical stimulation, and oxygen therapy for spinal cord injuries and neuromuscular disorders like Pompe disease.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Clinical
- Rats
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 9
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Therapeutic uses of oxygen in acute to sub-acute spinal cord injury
Exploring the effects of oxygen therapy on spinal cord injury recovery.
Developing and testing novel therapeutic approaches for neuromuscular disorders
Develops and tests new treatments for neuromuscular disorders such as Pompe disease, using the lab's gene therapy and stimulation approaches.
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Project Subacute Spinal Cord Microvasculature Following Cervical Hemisection or Contusion Injury
The lab compares blood‑vessel density after two cervical spinal‑cord injuries in rats. The student will collect tissue 10 days post‑injury, stain sections for vessels and cells, and quantify microvascular density at and around the lesion.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 571
Impact of Ampakine CX1739 on Histological Neuronal Counts after Acute Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
The lab tests whether a low dose of the drug CX1739 can protect neurons after a cervical spinal cord injury in rats. Students will give the drug or a vehicle to injured rats and count neurons near the injury site.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 360
Investigating Safety of Early High-Volume Normobaric Oxygen as a Therapy for Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
The lab gave rats a cervical spinal cord injury and then treated some with 100% oxygen for 3 hours twice a day for 7 days. The treated rats kept normal weight and temperature, showing the oxygen therapy appears safe and easy to use.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 353
Histopathological Examination of Spinal Microglia in the Gaa-/- Rat Model for Pompe Disease
The lab studies how Pompe disease, caused by a missing GAA protein, affects the nervous system. Students will examine spinal cord tissue from male Gaa-/- rats that are three months old and treat them with hyperbaric oxygen therapy three times a week for eight months, then compare microglial cell numbers to untreated rats and normal Sprague Dawley rats.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 348
Spinal Neuron Histopathology in the Gaa-/- Rat Model of Pompe Disease
The team examined spinal cords of 12‑month‑old male Gaa‑/- rats and normal rats, staining for neurons and counting them with image software. The student assisted with tissue staining, imaging, and analysis that showed an 8.1% loss of neurons in the cervical region.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 234
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Pompe Disease
Researchers gave rats with Pompe disease daily hyperbaric oxygen to see if it changes weight or breathing. The student recorded body weights and breathing patterns, finding the treatment is safe and may affect breathing in older rats.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 153
Morphological Changes of Phrenic Motoneurons in Pompe Disease
The lab looks at breathing‑related nerve cells in a rat model of Pompe disease, a disorder that builds up sugar inside cells. Using a tracer and microscope, the student showed these nerve cells swell and fill with sugar, confirming brain involvement in the disease.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 142
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Pairing ampakine with brief hypoxia evokes phrenic neuroplasticity via a spinal NMDA receptor-mediated mechanism
2026 · Function
Shows how combining ampakines with brief hypoxia can improve breathing after spinal cord injury.
- A79-02 Phrenic Nerve Stimulation Enhances Upper Airway Patency During Drug-induced Sleep Endoscopy in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
2026 · American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Found phrenic nerve stimulation helps keep airways open during sleep in people with sleep apnea.
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- Antioxidant Upregulation Contributes to Improvements in Diaphragm Function Following Cervical Spinal Cord Injury and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
2026 · Antioxidants
Tested whether HBO therapy helps spinal cord injury by boosting antioxidant proteins in the diaphragm.
- Allostatic Load and Healthcare Access Among Stroke Survivors
2026 · Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
- A respiratory signature of disease progression in the Pompe rat
2025 · Journal of Neurophysiology
Tracks breathing changes in Pompe rats to spot disease progression.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
David Fuller hasn't set up this page yet. You can also look them up in the UF directory (search “David Fuller”).