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UNC Neuroscience Center 2021 NeuroSpark Awards

December 15, 2021
We are delighted to announce the 2021 NeuroSpark awardees: “Measuring Brain-wide Responses to Neural Circuit Perturbations During Movement” Adam Hantman, Ian Yen-Yu Shih “Tracking Arousal Responses with a BOP (Biometric Ocular Photometer)” Jose Rodriquez-Romaguera, Nicolas Pegard, Rebecca Grzadzinski, Anthony Zannas “Advancing a Computational Tool to Measure Facial Grimacing Associated with...

Dr. Michelle Itano Awarded Renewal for CZI Imaging Scientist Cycle 1 Grant

December 8, 2021
Congratulations to Dr. Michelle Itano on receiving a renewal for her CZI Imaging Scientist Cycle 1 grant, for an additional 2 years, resulting in a total of 5 years of funding!! More information on Dr. Itano’s project can be found here.

One-shot gene therapy for Angelman syndrome shows promise in mice

December 1, 2021
One injection of a potential new gene therapy for Angelman syndrome forestalls many of the neurodevelopmental condition’s key traits, according to early tests in mice. “While additional pharmacology and safety studies are needed, our viral vector can potentially provide transformative therapeutic relief with a single dose,” says lead investigator Benjamin Philpot, professor of...

Scientists Discover Biological Mechanisms Caused by Deficits in High-risk Autism Gene

November 30, 2021
Full details of the announcement can be found on the UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine Newsroom Website. Damaris Lorenzo, PhD, at the UNC School of Medicine, led research to reveal crucial downstream effects of rare genetic variants, an important insight into the underlying biology of autism.

Dr. Rodriguez-Romaguera receives a Junior Faculty Development Award from the UNC Provost’s Office

November 19, 2021
Dr. Rodriguez-Romaguera receives a Junior Faculty Development Award from the UNC Provost’s Office sponsored by IBM and R.J. Reynolds Industries to dissect amygdala circuits involved in hyperarousal of social cues.

The Neuroscience Center is pleased to announce the appointment of two postdoctoral researchers as Helen Lyng White Fellows

October 27, 2021
Dr. Jeannette Delva-Wiley, mentored by Dr. Morika Williams Funded July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 I received my B.S. in Chemistry from Bennett University in 2012. Under the advisement of Dr. Robert Newman, I received both my M.S. in Biology in 2016 and Ph.D. in Applied Science and Technology...

Gene Therapy Shows Early Promise as Angelman Syndrome Treatment

October 25, 2021
Full details of the announcement can be found on the UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine Newsroom Website. Led by Ben Philpot, PhD, and Matt Judson, PhD, the new therapy was generally well-tolerated and prevented key signs of the condition in animal models.

UNC Researchers Awarded $9.25 Million to Study DNA Variance Related to Disease

September 10, 2021
Full details of the announcement can be found on the UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine Newsroom Website. Hyejung Won, PhD, is principal investigator of five-year project, part of the NIH’s $185-million Impact of Genomic Variation on Function consortium. UNC’s Karen Mohlke, PhD, and Michael Love, are co-investigators.

Jason Stein, PhD and Hyejung Won, PhD Awarded U01 Grant from NIMH

August 2, 2021
Full details of the announcement can be found on the UNC School of Medicine Genetics Website. Drs. Jason Stein (Assistant Professor) and Hyejung Won (Assistant Professor) have been awarded an U01 grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) for their project titled “Discovery and validation of genetic variation...

Itano Named Editor-in-Chief of BioTechniques

July 22, 2021
Full details of the announcement can be found on the UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine Newsroom Website. Michelle Itano, PhD, assistant professor in the UNC Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and Director of the Neuroscience Microscopy Core at the UNC School of Medicine, was selected as the...