Human glioblastoma cells transfected with a lentivirus
Human glioblastoma cells transfected with a lentivirus containing red fluorescent protein and luciferase preparing for intracranial animal implantation.

Neuro-Oncology Research

Brain Tumor Cell Biology Lab: Hsu Lab 

  • The role of brachyury in chordoma and gliomas

Brain Tumor Research: Debinski Lab (Department of Cancer Biology) 

  • NIH P30 Grant for the Neuro-Oncology Program – Brain Tumor Center of Excellence
  • NIH Program Project Grant P01 (with VA Tech School of Biomedical Engineering)   
    • “Maximizing Local Access to Therapeutic Deliveries in Glioblastoma” 
  • R01 High-Grade Astrocytoma-Specific Molecular Targeting 
  • Understanding the role of checkpoint inhibitors in GBM 

Brain Metastases Research Group: Drs. Mike Chan, Ko Watabe, Chris Whitlow, Hui-Wen Lo

  • Brain met velocity to inform patient care paradigms: Dr. Mike Chan
  • Biomarkers predictive of metastatic histology and radiographic correlates  
  • tGLI1 in brain metastases 
  • NIH R01 Role of inflammation and microRNA network in brain metastasis of breast cancer 
  • NIH R01 Roles of long-non-coding RNA, XIST, in brain metastases of breast cancer

Functional Neurosurgery Research

Development of a human memory prosthesis: Hampson Lab

  • DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Grant 

Neurochemical Encoding: Kishida Lab

  • NIH R01 Real- time neurochemical encoding of reward
  • NIH R01 Neuro-computational approach to determine a neurochemical basis of mood and depression
  • NIH R01 Dopaminergic encoding of counterfactual information in the human striatum 

Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Mesial Temporal Love Epilepsy: Drs. Couture and Laxton

Spine Neurosurgery Research

Technology development and innovation: Dr. Branch in collaboration with Wake Innovations

  • Spinal implants, retractors, imaging technology, outcomes research with QOD

Spine Biomechanics Lab: Drs. Branch, JL Wilson, Brown

  • Cadaver studies using kuka robotic repetitive motion to investigate adjacent level disease and fusion construct integrity

Modeling and Treatment for Acute Spinal Cord Injury: Atala Lab

  • NIH T32 Studies in Translational Regenerative Medicine
  • Duraplasty with Stem Cell Injection in rabbit model of paralysis
  • NIH P41 Bioprinting Patterning for Cell-Laden Constructs

Vascular Neurosurgery Research

Cerebrovascular Disease Modeling: Wolfe Lab

  • KRAS mutations in sporadic AVMs
    • NREF Medical Student Summer Research Grant
  • Genomic mutations in human cerebral aneurysms
  • CTSI grant: Immune phenotypes following ICH in a hypertensive mREN model
    • NREF Medical Student Summer Research Grant 2019
    • NREF Medical Student Summer Research Grant 2020

Stroke model of brain organoids under hypoxic/ischemic conditions: Atala lab

Pediatric Neurosurgery Research

TBI/Concussion in Football using accelerometer outfitted helmets with Bioengineering/Radiology

  • NIH R01 Neurophysiology of Working Memory Maturation in Adolescence 

Park-Reeves Syringomyelia Research Consortium: Dr. Couture

Trauma Research

Rabbit model of spinal cord injury and recovery using autologous stem cell grafting: Marrotte lab

TBI/Concussion in Football using accelerometer outfitted helmets with Bioengineering/Radiology

  • NIH P30 iTAKL: Imaging Telemetry and Kinematic modeling in youth football-High School

Clinical Outcomes Neurosurgery Research

  • N2QOD
  • JA Wilson: Carotid disease, cerebrovascular, patient centered outcomes
  • Fargen: IIH, stroke outcomes, endovascular techniques, physician/resident/staff burnout
  • JL Wilson: Minimally invasive spine techniques, spine quality outcomes
  • Couture: epilepsy outcomes after LITT
  • Laxton: Radiosurgery, Neuro-oncology and epilepsy outcomes after LITT
  • Tatter: Radiosurgery, Neuro-oncology
  • Wolfe: StrokeNET, ICH medical and minimally invasive intervention trials, stroke intervention, endovascular techniques