UKNow featured Valerie and her participation in the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging NIH-funded Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (KYAD-PREP). The program provided Valerie with mentored research experience in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders before beginning her PhD training at UK. Read the full story in UKNow.
Suelen Santos Alves has joined BHL as a Postdoctoral Scholar. Originally from Brazil, Suelen will contribute to the lab’s research on blood-brain barrier dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease with epilepsy. Welcome to the BHL, Suelen!
Pannita Holasut has joined the BHL as a Fulbright-National Research Council of Thailand Junior Research Scholar. Supported by the Thailand-United States Educational Foundation (TUSEF), Pannita will conduct research in the BHL as part of her Fulbright fellowship.
Manekya presented her fourth-year PhD seminar in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar Series. Her presentation focused on targeting neuroinflammatory pathways to restore blood-brain barrier integrity in drug-resistant epilepsy.
Valerie received her white coat at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony, marking the beginning of her PhD training in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Congratulations, Valerie!
Manekya’s NIH Predoctoral T32 Fellowship through the Neurobiology of CNS Injury and Repair T32 Program has been renewed for a second year. The fellowship will continue to support her PhD research and training during the coming year. Congratulations, Manekya!
Congratulations to Sayer on receiving her white coat at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine! The ceremony marks an important milestone in her PhD training. Congratulations, Sayer!
Bjoern was invited to give two oral presentations at the XLVIII Annual Meeting of CAMELICE 2026 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He presented on the role of blood-brain barrier dysfunction in epilepsy, including its contribution to disease progression and drug resistance, as well as current therapeutic approaches to repair the barrier and control seizures.
We met for the lab’s annual Summer Retreat to review each lab member’s research progress and discuss plans and priorities for the coming year. The retreat included presentations by lab members and discussions of ongoing and future projects.
BHL members and their families gathered for our annual Summer Party. Everyone enjoyed a summer afternoon together with food and conversation before the start of the new academic year.
After five weeks of FIFA World Cup matches, BHL members gathered to watch the final together. Congratulations to Spain on winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup!
Anika and Bjoern presented the 2026 David S. Miller Junior Scientist Award at the Gordon Research Conference on Barriers of the CNS in New London, NH. The award, sponsored by Anika and Bjoern, was presented to Benjamin Gastfriend (University of California, San Francisco). The photo shows the award recipient, Benjamin Gastfriend, with his mentor, Rich Daneman, and Anika and Bjoern.
Manekya gave an oral presentation at the Gordon Research Seminar and presented a poster at the Gordon Research Conference on “Barriers of the CNS” in New London, NH. The conference brought together leading scientists from around the world to discuss advances in blood-brain barrier biology and brain barriers research.
Manekya received a Podium Presentation Award at the Pharmaceutics Graduate Student Research Meeting (PGSRM) in Kansas City in recognition of her oral presentation. Congratulations, Manekya!
Manekya gave an oral presentation at the 56th Pharmaceutics Graduate Student Research Meeting (PGSRM) in Kansas City, MO, where she presented her project on Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Epilepsy.
We welcome Ava Plunkett, an undergraduate student from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, for a summer research project. Ava is the recipient of a Vincent Scholarship that she was awarded by the Smurfit Institute of Genetics and the American-Ireland Fund. Ava will spend the summer with us to gain research experience.
Manekya received a Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program Student Travel Award to attend the Pharmaceutics Graduate Student Research Meeting (PGSRM) in Kansas City. She will present her research and participate in planning the PGSRM meeting at the University of Kentucky next year.
UKNow recently featured Brayden’s selection for the 2026 Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Fellowship program. As part of the fellowship, Brayden will conduct summer research in the BHL and present his work at the Summer Research Symposium on August 25. You can read the full story HERE.
We hosted an end-of-semester team lunch to thank lab members for their work and contributions throughout the semester. The lunch provided an opportunity for the team to get together and mark the end of a productive academic term. Thank you, BHL Team!
Valerie has been selected for the University of Kentucky Graduate School Lyman T. Johnson Fellowship. This fellowship was named in honor of Lyman T. Johnson and recognizes incoming graduate students and supports their graduate training. The award reflects Valerie’s strong academic record and potential for impactful scholarship. Congratulations, Valerie!
BHL lab members participated in the Wonders of Pharmacy event in the College of Pharmacy, where they interacted with local middle and high school students and introduced them to research related to brain health and the blood-brain barrier. Through hands-on activities and discussions, the event provided students with an opportunity to learn more about biomedical research, pharmacy, and careers in science and healthcare.
Brayden has been awarded the Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Fellowship for summer research. This fellowship is supported by the University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research and the Office of the Vice President for Research and recognizes undergraduate students engaged in mentored research addressing issues relevant to Kentucky and the Commonwealth. We look forward to working with Brayden over the summer!
Manekya has been invited to present her research at the 2026 Barriers of the CNS Gordon Research Seminar at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH. She will present in the session “Dysfunction of CNS Barriers and Therapeutic Opportunities.”
Hady presented a poster on anti-amyloid antibodies and their effects on blood-brain barrier integrity at the College of Medicine Trainee Research Day. This work represents a new and timely research direction in the lab that aligns with the development of novel disease-modifying antibody therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease.
Manekya received the Peter G. Glavinos, Jr., PhD Travel Award to present her work at the “Barriers of the CNS” GRS/GRC. This award was established in memory of Dr. Glavinos and recognizes outstanding graduate students in Pharmaceutical Sciences and supports their participation in scientific meetings. Congratulations, Manekya!
Anika presented her poster, “Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease: An Environmental Health Perspective,” at the AD/PD 2026 conference in Copenhagen. Her work highlights the intersection of environmental factors and neurodegenerative disease, contributing to ongoing efforts to better understand Alzheimer’s pathology and brain health through a multidisciplinary research approach.
Bjoern gave a presentation at the Latin American Epilepsy Initiative (LATEPi) virtual seminar series titled “Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Epilepsy.” The presentation covered the role of blood-brain barrier dysfunction in epilepsy and highlighted current research from the lab on therapeutic strategies to repair barrier dysfunction and control seizures.
We participated in the Polar Plunge to support Special Olympics Kentucky. Despite the cold conditions (outside temperature: 12°F; water temperature: 30°F), we joined other community participants to help raise funds and awareness for athletes with intellectual disabilities. The event provided an opportunity for the lab to contribute to a local cause and engage with the broader community.
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.