Banafshe Dolatyar, PhD, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Marco Hefti, MD’s research laboratory, received the Trainee Professional Development Award (TDPA) from the Society for Neuroscience.

Researchers in Zizhen Kang, PhD’s research laboratory, in collaboration with Ashutosh Mangalam, PhD’s research laboratory, have discovered that oligodendroglial lineage cells (OLCs)—traditionally known for producing myelin—actively contribute to neuroinflammation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a widely used model for multiple sclerosis (MS).

Mallory Shin, a student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience and a member of Marco Hefti, MD’s research laboratory, received the Kwak-Ferguson Award in neuroscience.

Featuring: Andrew Bellizzi, MD; Dao-Fu Dai, MD, PhD; Nastaran Daneshgar, MD, PhD; Brooks Jackson, MD, MBA; Douglas R. Spitz, PhD

We are pleased to share that Dr. Ashutosh Mangalam, Professor of Pathology, has been awarded an Honorary Professorship by the Old Herborn University Foundation in recognition of his contributions to microbiome research, particularly in the context of neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

Featuring: Vladimir Badovinac, PhD; John Harty, PhD; Mohammad Heidarian, MSc; Shravan Kannan, MS; Sergei Syrbu, MD, PhD

The Bosch Lab, led by Dustin Bosch, MD, PhD, is studying how the gut microbiome is related to CAC development. IBD patients have perturbed microbiomes (dysbiosis), and specific bacteria (pathobionts) may promote carcinogenesis in the inflamed intestine.

Featuring: Jonathan Davick, MD; Di Hu, PhD; Hui Li, PhD; Hong Lin, BS; Jia Luo, PhD; Ashutosh Mangalam, PhD; Osorio Lopes Abath Neto, MD, PhD; Mrutyunjaya Parida, PhD; Shaelish Shahi, PhD; Wen Wen, PhD; Zuohui Zhang, MD, PhD

Dr. Shailesh Shahi has been awarded a three-year, $999,265 grant from the Department of Defense Multiple Sclerosis Research Program (DoD-MSRP) for his project titled “Impact of Obesity-Driven Gut Microbiota Alterations on Multiple Sclerosis.”

Researchers in Ashutosh Mangalam, PhD’s research laboratory, in collaboration with University of Iowa College of Nursing, University of Iowa College of Public Health, and University of Iowa Department of Neurology, have identified a microbial ratio in the gut microbiome associated with multiple sclerosis and disease severity.