Funding Neuroscience

Twelve FAU researchers, from multiple departments, colleges and campuses, were recently awarded grants totaling more than $100,000, as part of the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute 2021 Pilot Grant Awards.

"The Institute's Pilot Award program is one of our most important academic research support activities," said Randy D. Blakely, Ph.D., executive director of the Institute. "Investigators receiving these awards apply the funds toward the acquisition of critical technologies and foundation data to allow for application of major research awards."

Research studies are designed to be completed in one year and can allow for the training of undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral trainees as well as the creation of new faculty collaborations.

"I congratulate all of the winners of this year's competition, drawn from what was a truly competitive pool of applicants," Blakely said, "and reflects the breadth of neuroscience supported by the Institute."

Brain-gut-immune effects of oral therapy with combination benzimidazoles and chitin microparticles for late-stage breast cancer, Ceylan Isgor, Ph.D. and Vijaya Iragavarapu-Charyulu, department of biomedical science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine

Emotion recognition and the oxytocin gene: An autism study, Nancy Jones, Ph.D. and Krystal Mize, Ph.D., department of psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

Assessment of biopsychosocial indicators linked to canine intervention treatment response in veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms
Cheryl Krause-Parello, Ph.D. and Beth Pratt, Ph.D., Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and Institute for Human Health and Disease Intervention, and Christine Spadola, Ph.D., Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work, College of Social Work and Criminal Justice

Development of sulindac encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles: novel approach to target neuronal cells

Sailajah Allani, Ph.D., Herbert Weissbach, Ph.D., Waseem Asghar, Ph.D., James Kumi-Diaka, Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, departments of chemistry and biochemistry, computer and electrical engineering and computer science and biological science
Sailajah Allani, Ph.D., Herbert Weissbach, Ph.D., Waseem Asghar, Ph.D., James Kumi-Diaka, Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, departments of chemistry and biochemistry, computer and electrical engineering and computer science and biological science

Palmitoylated membrane protein 2 (MPP2) as a target for improving memory in adult mice
Robert Stackman, Jr., Ph.D., department of psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

An integrated framework to define the role of the thalamus in predictive coding and learning
Carmen Varela, Ph.D., department of psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science