We welcomed Julia Schulz-Pauly, a former BHL PhD student and current Principal Scientist at Amgen, back to the lab and the UK College of Pharmacy for a seminar presentation. During Julia’s visit, she met with trainees and faculty to share insights from her work in industry and discuss her career path. We enjoyed reconnecting and […]

The BHL Annual Holiday Party brought the team together to mark the end of the year. We shared food, spent time together, and played a white elephant gift exchange. It was a nice opportunity to connect outside the lab!

We held our annual BHL Winter Retreat to reflect on our achievements in 2025 and provide an outlook on 2026. Every lab member gave a presentation, we discussed and shared ideas, and set goals for the coming months.

Bjoern attended the AES Annual Meeting in Atlanta and presented a poster on the team’s findings on CBD in epilepsy. Bjoern met with former lab members and colleagues, and learned about current advances in epilepsy research and emerging therapies.

Avijit presented a poster at the UK COBRE CNS Metabolism Symposium, where he shared his work on transporter regulation in epilepsy and engaged with current research on metabolism in CNS disorders.

Congratulations to Manekya on being selected to give an oral presentation at the PUNDS Graduate Student Meeting at Purdue University. This selection recognizes her work and provides an opportunity to share her research with a broader scientific audience.

The BHL team participated at the UK Neuroscience Clinical-Translational Research Symposium, where Manekya, Hana, and Hady presented posters. Anika moderated the Research Data Blitz session, which highlighted research by early-career investigators.

Members of the BHL team presented posters at the Annual Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Markesbery Symposium. Congratulations to Hana for an Outstanding Poster Award and to Avijit for a Costume Award!

Anika was recently invited to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to present her latest research findings. During her visit, she met with several NIH investigators, engaging in scientific discussions that offered potential avenues for collaboration. Anika’s visit underscored the impact of her work and its relevance to the broader scientific community.

Bjoern recently participated in the 27th European Brain Barriers Meeting in Bern, Switzerland. The meeting brought together international brain barriers experts to discuss new advances and emerging challenges in the field. Bjoern gave a presentation and engaged in scientific discussions with friends and colleagues.

We are excited for Manekya to have been awarded an NIH Predoctoral T32 Fellowship. This recognition highlights her research potential and supports the next phase of her doctoral work. Congratulations to Manekya for this outstanding accomplishment!

Our BHL Summer Party brought together the team and their families for an afternoon of sunshine, laughter, and great conversations. Kids enjoyed the pool while the adults were chatting, making it a fun and memorable day. Here’s to many more!

We held our traditional summer retreat, featuring scientific presentations, project updates, and discussions that sparked new ideas. We also had a lively group discussion on Angela Duckworth’s book GRIT, reflecting on perseverance and resilience in research. We wrapped up the day with renewed motivation and a stronger sense of team spirit.

Congratulations to Makenna for a perfect Bradford assay! We celebrated this success with our traditional pizza lunch to mark this rare achievement.

Congratulations to Manekya on successfully passing her PhD qualifying exam! This milestone reflects her hard work, preparation, and growing scientific expertise. With this achievement, Manekya advances to PhD candidacy and begins the next phase of her doctoral research. We are proud of her accomplishment and look forward to supporting her continued success. Congratulations, Manekya!

Manekya received a Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Student Travel Award to attend the CVB 2025 Conference in Ann Arbor, MI. This award will allow Manekya to present a poster of her research, engage with leading scientists in the field, and gain valuable insight into current trends and advances in blood-brain barrier science. Congratulations Manekya!