A fellowship will help support Yunruo 'Trista' Ni’s graduate research at @fralinbiomed.bsky.social as she investigates how low-intensity focused ultrasound can modify brain circuits to treat memory disorders. 🧠 🔗: brnw.ch/21wZCOx

Meet doctoral candidate Caleb Mensah, whose research is uncovering how #glioblastoma — one of the most aggressive brain cancers — evades treatment. Supported by a Ray A. Gaskins Fellowship, his work seeks to unlock discoveries that could improve patient survival. More about Caleb in the comments ⤵️

🚨 New episode of Big Science Small Pod 🚨 Listen in as @virginiatech.bsky.social neurobiologist Matthew Weston explains what happens in the brain during seizures and how his lab is researching their genetic roots to help develop new treatments for children. 🎧👇 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Healing of injured blood vessels is driven by gap junction protein connexin 43 at the wound edge 📷 Meghan W. Sedovy et al Scott Johnstone lab @fralinbiomed.bsky.social AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology ➡️ bpod.org.uk/archive/2025... with @rooph.bsky.social

A study published in eNeuro from @virginiatech.bsky.social scientists, led by @shannonfarris.bsky.social, shows that neurons organize mRNA based on abundance, helping explain how genetic instructions support learning and memory in the 🧠 📰 @sfnjournals.bsky.social 🔗 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Happy to share part I of Renesa Tarannum's thesis (my first grad student!) looking at how neuropil localized RNAs are spatially organized in the hippocampus. #Skeetorial #Neuroskyence 🧪 www.eneuro.org/content/12/1...

Here is the @fralinbiomed.bsky.social write up in @virginiatech.bsky.social news. news.vt.edu/articles/202...

What if we could measure infant brain activity during social interaction? 👶🧠 @virginiatech.bsky.social researchers have secured significant support from the NIH to push the boundaries of human #neuroscience using wearable brain-imaging technology. Details ⤵️ news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Jenny Munson has been awarded two new National Institutes of Health grants to advance greater understanding and improved treatment of a deadly brain cancer. 🙌 Full details👇 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

@thelancet.com says 1 in 3 Americans ages 15–24 may meet obesity criteria by 2050. @virginiatech.bsky.social's @davybrenda.bsky.social and @difeliceantonio.bsky.social tested how young adults ate after two weeks on ultra-processed vs. unprocessed diets. Results👇 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

#VirginiaTech researchers are developing techniques to study brain activity between parents and their babies, laying the foundation to identify patterns that point to potential risk for disorders. ⬇️

How does early-life trauma change the brain? 🧠 New research from @virginiatech.bsky.social's Sora Shin reveals a shared biological mechanism linking aggression and self-harm, tied to how the brain processes pain. Learn more 👇 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

At the @fralinbiomed.bsky.social, cancer scientists are redefining what’s possible in preclinical #imaging. Michael Friedlander, PhD, Jenny Munson, PhD, & core manager Maosen Wang, PhD, share their insights. Watch the full video here: youtu.be/16W2Joqun2g?... @virginiatech.bsky.social #Oncology

Surgeons perform nearly 600,000 stent and bypass surgeries in the U.S. each year.🫀 The Johnstone lab at @virginiatech.bsky.social found that the protein connexin 43 helps blood vessels heal — a discovery that could lead to smarter recovery therapies. Learn more 👇 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

In a new @fralinbiomed.bsky.social study, 18- to 21-year-olds put on to a diet high in ultra-processed foods were more likely to overeat — even when full. ⬇️🔬Learn more.

The lab was on Good Morning America! Absolutely surreal. Everyone did so great on the filming day. I work with the best people ever.

A weightlifting mouse? 🐭💪 @virginiatech.bsky.social researchers in Zhen Yan's lab created a mouse model to compare resistance vs. endurance. Both helped reduce fat and improve blood sugar, but weightlifting was more effective. 🔗 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

The same drugs used for diabetes and weight loss may also impact alcohol use. 🍷 A pilot study with @virginiatech.bsky.social and @carilionclinic.bsky.social found that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic slow alcohol absorption, lessening its impact on the brain. news.vt.edu/articles/202...

“Chemo brain” affects many #cancer survivors, but why? 🧠 A new @virginiatech.bsky.social study suggests post-chemotherapy memory and focus issues may stem from poor lymphatic drainage triggered by cancer drugs. Learn more 👇 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

By combining #nanotechnology and #immunology, @virginiatech.bsky.social's DaeYong Lee and his collaborators are redefining how the immune system can be harnessed to battle cancer 🧫 Learn more ⤵️ news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Postdoc position available @fralinbiomed.bsky.social working in the Addiction Recovery Research Center examining long-term trajectories of addiction recovery. Salary at NIH NRSA stipend level along w/ excellent benefits. Apply by Oct 29! careers.pageuppeople.com/968/cw/en-us...

Glioblastoma is a lethal #brain #cancer. Patients survive ~15 months on average. Here at @virginiatech.bsky.social's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Jenny Munson's team has built a tool to spot hidden cancer cells & predict where tumors will grow next. 📰 ⤵️ news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Two-year #postdoc opening in the Poelzing Lab @fralinbiomed.bsky.social focused on cardiac arrhythmia mechanisms in mouse models. Salary at NIH NRSA rate plus excellent benefits (matched retirement, sub health ins) & training environment. Apply by 10/10! careers.pageuppeople.com/968/cw/en-us...

The entorhinal cortex—key for memory, navigation, and the brain’s mapping system—is one of the first regions hit by Alzheimer’s. With new support from the Commonwealth, @virginiatech.bsky.social scientists Sharon Swanger and @shannonfarris.bsky.social are studying why. news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Thank you @fralinbiomed.bsky.social for the seminar invitation!

How do people learn to prefer certain flavors? 🍩 Researchers at @virginiatech.bsky.social's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute recently studied something called flavor-nutrient learning. Our very own @difeliceantonio.bsky.social led the research. Full story ⤵️ news.vt.edu/articles/202...

One of the first brain regions affected by Alzheimer’s is the entorhinal cortex, which is critical for memory and navigation. 🧠 With new state support, @fralinbiomed.bsky.social researchers are investigating why it’s especially vulnerable.

What happens when you apply behavioral game theory, machine learning, and electrochemical sensing to the human brain during surgery? 🧠 @virginiatech.bsky.social scientists reveal new insights in a recent study published in Nature Communications (@nature.com) ⤵️ news.vt.edu/articles/202...

From catching bugs in Tokyo to decoding the brain’s dopamine system, @virginiatech.bsky.social neuroscientist Ryunosuke Amo is uncovering how motivation, movement, and even addiction take shape in the mind. 🧠 Learn more ⤵️ news.vt.edu/articles/202...

“Serving as associate editor of this @natureportfolio.nature.com journal allows me to amplify the mission we’ve embraced — advancing research that places #exercise at the forefront of disease prevention and treatment.” - Zhen Yan | @virginiatech.bsky.social Learn more ⤵️ news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Arden Grim was told she’d never walk or talk. 15 years later, she’s dancing, playing piano & studying to be a neurologist. This summer she returned to @virginiatech.bsky.social's Neuromotor Research Clinic to research alongside her childhood therapists. news.vt.edu/articles/202...

In a new study published in Science Advances (@aaas.org), @virginiatech.bsky.social scientists at our Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C. found that immunotherapy may help the immune system better target acute myeloid leukemia, a hard-to-treat blood cancer. 📰 ⤵️

In a powerful new approach, @virginiatech.bsky.social scientist Kathleen Mulvaney and her lab use advanced gene editing to study potential dual therapy for lung, brain, and pancreatic cancers. Learn more in the comments👇

🫀 How can low sodium levels disrupt your heartbeat? New research from Steve Poelzing's lab reveals the hidden risks of low blood sodium in patients taking sodium channel blockers for arrhythmias. news.vt.edu/articles/202... @virginiatech.bsky.social

Creatine as a neurotransmitter?! 🧠 Fred Wu is working on a technique that uses focused ultrasound to deliver creatine directly to the brain by temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier. 🤝 @virginiatech.bsky.social | @childrensnational.bsky.social | @fusfoundation.bsky.social

Proud moment for our CardioSURF fellows! 💫 Caroline, Renée, Syed, Christopher & Azhaan presented their research at the @americanheart.bsky.social's BCVS conference in Baltimore alongside undergrads from across the U.S. 👏 They’ll also present this Friday at our Summer Undergrad Research Symposium!

A podcast about my work, my life, and balance… the things I think about a lot: @fralinbiomed.bsky.social news.vt.edu/articles/202...

This brain region could hold the secrets to movement disorders! 🧠 Discover why @virginiatech.bsky.social neurobiologist @meikeesther.bsky.social is fascinated by the cerebellum — and why child development might be the missing link. Listen to Big Science Small Pod now 🎧 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

What if scientists could lower the cost of biomedical experiments and make them more translatable to human health? @virginiatech.bsky.social and University of Virginia researchers are teaming up to bioengineer models that could make it possible. Learn more 📰 ⤵️ news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Every step forward in cancer research means hope for a waiting family. That urgency drove our Cancer Research Symposium in Roanoke — uniting researchers, Carilion Clinic clinicians, and students to push cancer science further. 📰 news.vt.edu/articles/202...

With a grant from #precisionmedicine company Actio Biosciences, the Weston lab is researching whether an Actio KCNT1 inhibitor can reduce seizures caused by a rare genetic mutation. Read more: news.vt.edu/articles/202...

With support from the Children's Cancer Foundation, our scientists are focusing on more precise drug delivery for cancer therapeutics. Read more about the aims of the new study: news.vt.edu/articles/202...

The Ye Lab @fralinbiomed.bsky.social in DC seeks a #postdoc to conduct work focused on understanding how glioma hijacks the tumor microenvironment to drive malignant progression. Virginia Tech provides excellent employment benefits. Apply by 7/21! careers.pageuppeople.com/968/cw/en-us...

📈 New research from the Poelzing lab suggests structural changes in the aging heart may reduce the risk of arrhythmias, challenging the idea that all age-related changes in the heart are harmful. Full story here: news.vt.edu/articles/202...

Born with cerebral palsy and severe global motor delays, JD Lofton faced challenges that his parents thought would last a lifetime. But everything changed when they discovered @virginiatech.bsky.social's Neuromotor Research Clinic. Learn more ⤵️ fralinbiomed.info/nrc

We were honored to host the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation board today! We kicked off their visit with a tour of our research facilities, followed by a presentation from Dr. Friedlander on our key research areas and regional economic impact. 📈

There’s something powerful about being in a room full of brilliant scientists who care deeply about making a difference. From big-picture strategy to small-group collaboration, this year’s faculty retreat is reminding us why we do what we do. 🚀

The connexin 43 protein (green) interacts with microtubules (magenta), helping drive tumor growth in treatment-resistant glioblastoma stem cells. 💡 But the peptide JM2 disrupts that interaction, potentially slowing disease progression. Read more: news.vt.edu/articles/202...

It was great to see new and familiar faces last week as we welcomed the latest cohort of Integrated Health Sciences and Research students to the institute!

💡 Emerging evidence suggests an AI-enhanced saliva test could help inform which cancer patients will experience serious side effects from 5-fluorouracil, a common chemotherapy drug. Read the full story: news.vt.edu/articles/202...