Learning how memories are saved and lost

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0500

A fellowship will help Mayd Alsalman, a student in the Translational Biology, Medicine and Health Graduate Program, investigate the neurobiology behind memory disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.

Neurons within the brain localize genetic messages using simple rules, study finds

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:00:00 -0500

A new eNeuro study from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute reveals how neurons organize genetic messages that support learning and memory — and what that means for medical conditions.

Researchers investigate why memory circuits break down in Alzheimer’s disease

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 15:09:00 -0400

With support from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund, scientists Sharon Swanger and Shannon Farris will investigate the chemical culprits that contribute to the breakdown of memory circuits.

Virginia Tech neuroscientists discover mitochondria’s role in shaping memory circuits

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 09:40:00 -0500

Researchers have revealed a critical process that supports the brain cells needed for learning, memory, and social recognition.

James R. Carter Sr. Memorial Awards support Alzheimer’s and dementia research

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 10:51:00 -0500

By studying how mitochondria support neuronal function important for memory formation and how the brain’s blood vessels respond to changes in blood flow and oxygenation, Mikel Cawley and Hanaa Abdelazim hope to advance research into degenerative brain diseases.

Gaskins fellowship will support doctoral student’s goal of becoming a physician-scientist

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 07:00:00 -0400

Renesa Tarannum, who earned a medical degree in Bangladesh, is working on her doctoral research while making progress toward becoming a licensed U.S. physician.

Virginia Tech scientist identifies narrow opportunity to address a disease connected with autism, schizophrenia

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 06:53:00 -0400

A National Institutes of Health grant will allow a team led by Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, a professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, to further his 20-year deep dive into DiGeorge syndrome, a genetic disorder that is usually diagnosed too late for treatment.

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute expands Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 09:43:00 -0400

More than 30 undergraduate and high school students worked behind the curtain of biomedical research this summer at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.

Medical student searches for dynamic cellular organelles in molecular memory lab

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 10:47:00 -0500

Working in the lab of Shannon Farris, assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Dinesh Lal undertook the challenge of looking for a specific structure, the Golgi apparatus, inside cells of the brain’s hippocampus.

Neuroscientists explore differences in mitochondria of memory cells in the brain with new NIH funding

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 13:00:00 -0500

With a new five-year, $2-million National Institutes of Health grant, Shannon Farris, assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, is mapping out the diverse bioenergetic and molecular characteristics of CA2 neuronal circuits to learn more about how social memories are formed, stored, and forgotten.

Meet Scientists Working at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

From cancer cells to human behavior - learn about some of the fascinating, high-impact research that female faculty members at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute are working on.

Early career biomedical researcher gets professional boost through NIMH diversity supplement program

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 10:00:00 -0500

Niesha Savory, a clinical neuroscience and psychology undergraduate student at Virginia Tech who conducts research at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, has always been fascinated with how the brain works.

Meet a Neuroscientist: Shannon Farris, Ph.D.

In honor of International #WomenInScience day, we'd like to introduce you to one of our faculty members, Dr. Shannon Farris! Her #neuroscience lab studies how the genes in a specific cell type, located in the brain's hippocampus, enable memory storage.

Meet our Scientists: Dr. Farris, Dr. Johnstone, Dr. LaMantia, Dr. Montague, Dr. Shin, and Dr. Munson

The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC’s researchers have diverse backgrounds. Learn more about their research, hobbies, backgrounds, and why they became scientists in our 2021 weekly video series.

Undergraduate Scientist Awarded National Institute of Mental Health Research Supplement

Niesha Savory, an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech working in the Farris Lab at the Fralin Biomedical Research at VTC, was recently awarded a Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research from the National Institute of Mental Health. She studies memory and learning in the lab of Shannon Farris, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the research institute in Roanoke. She previously completed a competitive neuroSURF Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in 2019, and Savory aspires to pursue graduate studies in medicine and biomedical research after graduation.

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