Learn about upcoming events and recent news from Saint Louis University's Institute for Translational Neuroscience.
Saint Louis University Launches New Institute to Advance Neuroscience Research
Juliana Navia Pelaez, Ph.D. will join the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, on Feb. 1, 2024, as assistant professor (TT). Navia Pelaez completed her graduate studies in vascular biology at UFMG, Brazil, focusing on cellular responses to oxidized lipids. Subsequently, she pursued postdoctoral training in pain and metabolism at the University of California, San Diego, under the dual mentorship of Tony Yaksh (vice chair for research in anesthesiology and Distinguished Professor in Anesthesiology and Pharmacology) and Yury Miller (M.D., Ph.D.; professor of medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism). As a postdoc, her findings, which revealed increased lipid rafts and intracellular lipid storage in microglia and neurons, contributed to the growing knowledge linking dysregulated lipid metabolism to hypersensitivity and pain states. Now, she is set to lead a new laboratory at SLU in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, dedicated to understanding how lipid metabolism influences pain states and susceptibility to chronic pain. Her research will primarily investigate immuno-metabolic changes and the related transcriptional regulation underlying chronic pain development. Leveraging diverse animal models of chronic pain and advanced omics and biochemistry tools, her lab will explore neuroimmune interactions, cellular reprogramming, and metabolic shifts across various cell types involved in nociceptive pathways, particularly macrophages and microglia. The lab aims to discover early pain biomarkers and uncover new pathways and potential therapeutic targets for treating various chronic pain conditions.
We are happy to announce that the Institute for Translational Neuroscience Inaugural Research Symposium will take place in person on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Our keynote speaker is Catherine Cahill, Ph.D., from the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition to the keynote address, there will be talks by several prominent St. Louis-based researchers (see flyer).
Abstract submission is now open.
This event is free and open to the public. Register before Oct. 11.
Submit an Abstract. Monetary prizes will be awarded to the top poster presentations.
For general information, click here.
The Institute for Translational Neuroscience, are happy to announce our new SYNAPSES panel discussion, which will allow communication and dialogue about the newest advances and technologies in neuroscience research. A “synapse” is a structure that permits a neuron (or nerve cell) to communicate with another neuron by transmission of information and signals.
Our 2nd SYNAPSES panel discussion will beat 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. The event will be in-person at the Sinquefield Room in DuBourg Hall, at Saint Louis University (click here for the address). The topic will be “The Use of Organoids in Neuroscience”.
There will be a light reception following the event to facilitate more conversations on the topics and networking. Please make sure to RSVP to attend this free event.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
The SLU Research Institute has produced a new video promoting ITN. If this one slipped by you, take some time to check it out and share with your friends, colleagues and social networks.
- Gina Yosten, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and physiology, has been appointed for a second 3-year term as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Physiology (Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology).
- The American Physiology Society honored Gina Yosten, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and physiology, by selection for the 2023 Henry Pickering Bowditch Award Lecture. The awardee is chosen annually by a select committee as the most outstanding research contributor in the society under the age of 42. Yosten's lecture was presented online Tuesday, March 7. Congratulations Gina Yosten!
Our very own Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D., Susan Farr, Ph.D., and Silvia Squillace, Ph.D., recently participated at The Winter Conference on Brain Research 2023 in Utah! Dr. Squillace presented a poster on A3AR agonists in cancer-related cognitive impairment.
This newsletter will keep everyone updated with all the current events, funding opportunities and other crucial information with our collaborators! Here is the link to see it: January 2023 Neurotransmitter
In December we celebrated Terry Egan, Ph.D. He was recognized and toasted to kick off his retirement after 30 years at SLU. Enjoy your next chapter! You will be missed around here. We cannot wait to hear of your new adventures!
- Congrats to Rachel Schafer, Ph.D. Candidate for winning the 2022 Westfall Graduate Fellowship Award