Recent Research Funding

Our faculty secure major research grants from various National Institutes of Health as well as private sources.

Dissecting the role for astrocytes in mediating adverse outcomes of maternal immuneactivation. Samir Haj-Dahmane (Co-Principal Investigator). NIMH. $3,754,157. 6/1/2026-3/1/2031.
Selective galactosylceramidase ablation to study the pathogenesis of Krabbe leukodystrophy. Pablo Paez (Co-Investigator). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). $1,950,000. 2/1/2025-1/1/2030.
Programmable Hydrogels for Optimized Human Oligodendrocyte Transplantation in Demyelinating Disease. Fraser Sim (Co-Principal Investigator). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). $2,930,725. 7/1/2023-6/1/2028.
Modulation of oligodendrocyte development by voltage-operated calcium channels. Pablo Paez (Principal Investigator). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). $1,993,750. 12/1/2021-11/1/2027.
Role of Microglia in Prenatal ethanol exposure-induced Impairment of Endocannabinoid Signaling. Roh-Yu Shen (Principal Investigator). NIAAA. 9/1/2022-8/1/2027.
Role of microglia in prenatal ethanol exposure-induced impairment of endocannabinoid signaling. Samir Haj-Dahmane (Co-Investigator). NIH. $1,813,263. 9/1/2022-6/1/2027.
The role of the nociceptor endocytosis in inflammatory pain. Arin Bhattacharjee (Principal Investigator). National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke. $1,907,471. 6/1/2022-5/1/2027.
Mapping complex dynamics in natural networks. Thomas Covey (Co-Principal Investigator). National Science Foundation. $32,000. 10/1/2024-10/1/2026.
Accelerating remyelination using lanthionine ketimine derivatives. Pablo Paez (Principal Investigator). Department of Veterans Affairs. $85,000. 10/1/2022-9/1/2026.
Clinical and Translational Science Award-linked KL2 Mentored Career Development Award. Margarita Dubocovich (Principal Investigator). NIH/NCATS. $2,706,260. 8/1/2020-8/1/2026.
Innovative methods for enhancing cognitive rehabilitation and promoting neural recovery in people with multiple sclerosis. Thomas Covey (Principal Investigator). UB Neuroscience Program Pilot Grant. $25,000. 8/1/2025-8/1/2026.
Investigation of the neural underpinnings of declining driving performance in aging adults. Thomas Covey (Principal Investigator). UB CTSI, NCATS. $42,000. 1/1/2025-7/1/2026.
Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential of heparan sulfate proteoglycans in remyelination. Pablo Paez (Co-Investigator). US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity. $620,000. 7/1/2023-6/1/2026.
Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential of heparan sulfate proteoglycans in remyelination. Fraser Sim (Principal Investigator). DoD CDMRP. $998,436. 7/1/2023-6/1/2026.
Investigation of behavioral and neural indices of multisensory information processing in Multiple Sclerosis: A novel approach. Thomas Covey (Principal Investigator). Department of Defense Multiple Sclerosis Research Program. $232,022. 9/1/2021-4/1/2026.
Research training on alcohol etiology and treatment. Caroline Bass (Contributor). NIH, NIAAA. $575,310. 2/16/2022-4/1/2026.
Synaptic transport of endocannabinoids in the brain. Samir Haj-Dahmane (Principal Investigator). NIH. $2,286,991. 3/1/2021-2/1/2026.
Synaptic transport of endocannabinoids in the brain. Roh-Yu Shen (Co-Principal Investigator). NIH/NIMH. $2,349,284. 3/1/2021-2/1/2026.
Investigating the role of novel p38 gamma inhibitors on human OPC differentiation in vitro. Fraser Sim (Principal Investigator). Empire Discovery Institute. $101,840. 3/1/2025-2/1/2026.
Role of inhibitory GABA Projections from the Ventral Tegmental Area in Motivation Learning. Caroline Bass (Principal Investigator). Whitehall Foundation. $225,000. 1/1/2018-12/1/2025.

Recent Publications

- Battaglia MC, Bhalla M, Marzullo B, Betadpur A, Lenhard AP, Mohamed RH, Kalem MC, Heinzinger LR, Leus PA, Labarron S, Garrett-Sinha LA, Mecsas J, Blumental-Perry A, Bou Ghanem EN. (2026) Host Aging Induces a Senescent-Like Phenotype in Neutrophils and Altered Transcriptional Responses to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Aging cell (Mar), 25(3): e70435.
- Simmons SR, Rivera A, Bou Ghanem EN. (2026) Basal activation of ERK1/2 blunts the antimicrobial activity of neutrophils from old hosts against antibody-opsonized Streptococcus pneumoniae. Journal of leukocyte biology (Jan)
- Chak V, Bybel M, Harne S, Kay JG, Wohlfert E, Balu-Iyer SV. (2025) Phosphatidylserine exposure on tolerogenic nanoparticle correlate with oral tolerance. Scientific reports (Dec).

See all recent publications>

Core Facilities

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Histology Core
7/23/26
Performs all procedures related to tissue preservation and histological analysis, including training on cryostat use and other protocols.
Proteomics/Mass Spectrometry
7/23/26
Identifies proteins in cell or tissue extracts using several different liquid chromotography/mass spectrometry based approaches.
Next-Generation Sequencing and Expression
7/23/26
Offers high-throughput, next-generation sequencing and gene-expression analysis services, including 3’-expression, miRNA, exon and gene arrays.
Comparative Medicine-Laboratory Animal Facilities (CM-LAF)
7/23/26
The Comparative Medicine Laboratory Animal Facilities (CM-LAF) is a centralized service organization responsible for the animal care and use program campus-wide.
shRNA Resource
7/23/26
Supports investigators interested in gene transfer using viral vector technologies.