Research Highlights

The Shaner laboratory hosted three excellent undergraduate students this summer. "In addition to getting a comprehensive education in biochemical and microbiological lab techniques, we were all able to develop and hone our ability to think practically and creatively while designing, not simply carrying out scientific experiments and explorations," says Patrick Friend, a student of Amherst College.

For the first time, researchers have found a non-invasive method to potentially treat spinal cord injuries using light naturally emitted by living organisms — a phenomenon referred to as bioluminescence — as a way to fire up specifically targeted neurons below the site of injury.

In March 2019, the NeuroNex Technology Hub at Brown University hosted 13 undergraduates from colleges and universities across the United States and Canada as part of its annual Marine Bioluminescence Practicum at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Ed Callaway, Vincent J. Coates Chair and Professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, was recently elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences for his outstanding contributions to research.

The NeuroNex Webinar discussed the goals and scope of the program, application requirements, review criteria, the decision process, and general guidelines from the foreign partner agencies.

A team of University researchers received funding from the National Science Foundation in August 2017 to develop bioluminescent tools that can be used to enhance methods of studying the brain.