Faculty News
New clues in the quest to prevent clogged arteries
UNC School of Medicine researchers have found a protein that appears to protect against coronary artery disease in older people with surprisingly clear arteries.
UNC researchers uncover how kappa opioid receptors drive anxiety
Study could lead to new drug development targets for forms of anxiety that are more pathological, such as those associated with excessive alcohol intake or opiate abuse.
Erasing memory using synaptic optogenetics
The Hahn, Kuhlman and Kasai labs developed a genetically encoded probe that can label and optically erase synapses that were enlarged or generated by motor learning. Dense labeling of synapses was found in a small subset of pyramidal neurons, and irradiation with blue light erased motor memory.
Researchers shed pharmacological light on “dark” cellular receptors
UNC and UCSF labs create a new research tool to find homes for two orphan cell-surface receptors, a crucial step toward finding better therapeutics and causes of drug side effects.
NC researchers awarded $5.3 million to develop novel gut-on-a-chip technology
Scientists from the UNC / NC State joint biomedical engineering department are creating a new kind of research tool that will be nearly indistinguishable from the human gastrointestinal tract.
UNC Lineberger to partner in $12 million effort to find treatments for genetically-linked cancers
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and eight other leading cancer research institutions have won a five-year, $12 million grant to try to find treatments for a group of cancers linked to mutations in the NF1 gene.
A BRAIN Initiative first: new tool can switch behavior ‘on’ and ‘off’
Using a new ‘chemogenetic’ technique invented at UNC, scientists turn neurons ‘on’ and ‘off’ to demonstrate how brain circuits control behavior in mice. This unique tool – the first to result from the NIH BRAIN Initiative – will help scientists understand how to modulate neurons to more effectively treat diseases.
Mike Miley Receives Game-changing Research Grant Award
Dr. Mike Miley is co-PI, along with Dr. TinChung Leung of UNC State, on one of six three-year grants funded by the University of North Carolina General Administration to support game-changing faculty research in areas of strategic importance to the state.
Researchers find new approach to treat drug-resistant HER2-positive breast cancer
Using human cancer cell lines, UNC scientists identified various ways that HER2-positive breast cancer tumors resist therapy, and they discovered a potential combination therapy to overcome multiple mechanisms of resistance and kill cancer cells.
Bryan Roth Cited in Science Signaling's Best Breakthroughs in Signaling in 2014
Bryan Roth and collaborator Raymond Stevens' Nature paper on "Molecular control of δ-opioid receptor signalling" was selected as one of the Best Breakthroughs in Signaling in 2014 in the Jan. 6 issue of Science Signaling. Gustavo Fenalti was first author on the paper.
Mauro Calabrese Receives March of Dimes Basil O’Connor Scholar Research Award
Congratulations to Dr. Mauro Calabrese, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, who has received the 2014 Basil O’Connor Scholar Research Award from the March of Dimes Foundation.
T. Kendall Harden and Nancy L. Allbritton Elected Fellows of AAAS
Two Pharmacology professors along with four other UNC professors elected Fellows of the AAAS.
Roth’s novel research technique, DREADDs, lands him on Top 10 List
The National Institute of Mental Health director Tom Insel recognized Byran L. Roth, MD, PhD, for his innovative research tool.
Joseph DeSimone elected to all three branches of the National Academies
Joseph DeSimone, PhD, the Chancellor’s Eminent Professor of Chemistry and a joint Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. This election represents the third time Desimone has been elected to a U.S. National Academy.
Bryan Roth Elected to Institute of Medicine
Roth’s research to create innovative tools for neuroscientists and discover potential targets for therapeutics has earned him one of the highest honors in the field of medicine.
UNC researchers receive $2.85-million NIH BRAIN Initiative grant
Led by Bryan L. Roth, MD, PhD, three UNC labs will develop the next generation neuroscience tool-kit to accelerate novel treatments for neuropsychiatric and a host of other diseases. ~by Mark Derewicz