Second half of Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series begins Jan. 13

Eighteen leading scholars in brain health, vascular health, lung function, pancreatic cancer, substance use, and more are part of the spring lineup for the Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series. The speakers are part of the biomedical and health sciences programs and idea-sharing taking place at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.

The speakers will address topics relevant to the research of members of the Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic communities, including graduate and medical students, undergraduates, faculty, and staff. The lecture series completed its fall season Dec. 9. With one exception, the spring seminars are scheduled to be in person at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. In addition, the lectures can be attended virtually through the research institute’s website.

The Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series was developed to serve as a forum for sharing contemporary insights in biomedical science by the nation’s thought leaders. They conclude with a question-and-answer session that leaves participants energized and inspired, said Michael Friedlander, Virginia Tech’s vice president for health sciences and technology and executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC (FBRI). 

“We enjoy sharing academic discoveries in the biomedical and health sciences space with those who share our dedication to discovery as we re-imagine the future of health,” Friedlander said. “We’re always learning about the latest work going on to help keep our researchers abreast of the newest technological and conceptual advances in areas related to our cancer, cardiovascular, neuroscience and children’s health research at the FBRI.”

In addition to the seminars, speakers interact with students, faculty, and staff during their two-day visits. 

Since it began in 2012, the program has hosted 145 leaders in biomedical research from across the globe. Presentations are co-sponsored by one or more of the institute’s research centers or focus areas, including the Addiction Recovery and Research Center, the Center for Vascular and Heart Research, the Cancer Research Group, the Center for Human Neuroscience Research, the Center for Health Behaviors Research, and the Center for Neurobiology Research. The schedule for the second half of the program that runs in the spring follows, with each seminar starting at 11 a.m.

• Jan. 13: “Genetic Drivers in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma,” Azeddine Atfi, professor and chair, Cellular and Molecular Pathogenesis Division, Department of Pathology, Cancer Biology Program, Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Jan. 20: “Brainstem Serotonin Neurons Selectively Gate Retinal Information Flow to Thalamus,” Mark L. Andermann, professor, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Jan. 27: “Prioritizing Individuals and Individual Differences in the Study of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders,” Bradley Schlaggar, president and CEO, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University
• Feb. 3: “A Novel Metabolic-Epigenetic Axis in Vascular Remodeling Processes,” Sébastien Bonnet, professor, Department of Medicine, and director, Canadian Research Chair in Translational Research in Pulmonary and Vascular Diseases, University of Laval
• Feb. 10: “Pathogenic Mechanisms and Novel Therapies for Immune Neoplasms,” Ari Melnick, Gebroe Family Professor of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, and director, Sackler Center for Biomedical and Physical Sciences, Weill Cornell School of Medicine
• Feb. 17: “Behavioral Economic Approaches for Measuring Substance Use Severity and Motivating Change,” James G. Murphy, professor, Department of Psychology, University of Memphis
• Feb. 24: “Functional MRI of Dynamic Physiological States,” Catherine Chang, assistant professor, Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University
• March 3: Virtual: “Exploring and Therapeutically Exploiting the Tumor Microenvironment,” Johanna Joyce, professor, Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and executive director, Agora Cancer Centre University of Lausanne, Switzerland
• March 10: “Examining the Alveolar-Capillary Barrier in Lung Injury and Repair,” Rebecca Heise, associate professor, Department of Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University 
• March 24: “Win to Fight and Lose to Flight: Innate Yet Flexible Aggression Circuit,” Dayu Lin, professor, Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University
• March 31: “Quantifying Diverse Research Representation,” Jonathan Jackson, executive director, Community Access, Recruitment, and Engagement Research Center, Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital
• April 14: “Brain Dynamics and Flexible Behaviors,” Lucina Q. Uddin, professor-in-residence, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science, University of California, Los Angeles
• April 21: “Engineering Post-translational Regulation of Ion Channels,” Henry M. Colecraft, John C. Dalton Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
• April 28: “Cis-regulatory Control of Neural Crest Development,” Marcos Simoes-Costa, associate professor, Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, and Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital
• May 5: “Ethnicity-Informed Considerations in Addiction Medicine and Neuropsychiatry,” Marjorie Gondre-Lewis, professor, Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine
• May 12: “Novel Regulators of Cardia Maturation,” Sihem Boudina, associate professor, Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, University of Utah
• May 19: “Cognitive Bias Modification in the Treatment of Addiction: Efficacy and New Insights into Working Mechanisms,” Reinout Wiers, professor, Department of Psychopathology, University of Amsterdam
• May 26: “Quantitative Proteomics for Understanding Epigenetic Cancer Mechanisms,” Ben Garcia, Raymond H. Wittcoff Distinguished Professor and head, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine

The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute also hosts the Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture Series, Brain School, international conferences, and the Timothy A. Johnson Medical Scholar Lecture Series.