Manekya, Anika, and Bjoern recently participated in the CVB2025 Meeting in Ann Arbor, MI. Manekya presented a poster on the therapeutic potential of mPGES-1 and 5-LOX inhibition to repair blood-brain barrier dysfunction in epilepsy. Anika was an invited speaker and delivered a talk on blood-brain barrier disruption in Alzheimer’s disease. Bjoern gave a short presentation on targeting endocannabinoid signaling for blood-brain barrier repair and seizure control in epilepsy.
A special summer seminar was co-organized by Anika, Bjoern, and Dr Ann Stowe, featuring guest speaker Dr. Britta Engelhardt, Director of the Theodor Kocher Institute at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Dr. Engelhardt is a globally recognized leader in immunobiology and an expert on the blood-brain barrier. She presented a seminar titled “Understanding How the Brain Barriers Orchestrate CNS Immune Privilege” on Thursday, June 26.
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!
Bjoern has been selected as the Patrick DeLuca Endowed Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology, honoring his outstanding record of service, research excellence, and leadership within the College of Pharmacy. This prestigious appointment recognizes Bjoern’s significant contributions to pharmaceutical innovation and his dedication to advancing the field. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Bjoern!
Bjoern has been honored by the PY1 pharmacy students as the Outstanding PY1 Professor in the College of Pharmacy. This student-nominated award recognizes Bjoern’s commitment to excellence in teaching, mentorship, and inspiring first-year PharmD students. His engaging course delivery, supportive guidance, and unwavering dedication have left a meaningful impact on the next generation of pharmacists. Congratulations, Bjoern!
Oxidative stress contributes to blood–brain barrier leakage, renal dysfunction, and cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, the team used 5xFAD mice to show that N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reduces Aβ-induced oxidative damage and improves cognition and organ function. Congratulations Atcharaporn and team!
We celebrated Atcharaporn and Ramtin for their amazing work and dedication over the past two years in the lab with a going-away lunch at KPOT. Thank you both for everything—you will be missed, and we’re excited to see where your next chapters take you!
Anika attended the AD/PD2025 conference in Vienna, Austria, where she co-chaired the session “Cerebrovascular Changes, CAA, BBB” alongside Dr. Shinobu Kitazume. She was also invited to present our recent work titled “Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease with Epilepsy: New Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Strategies.”
Anika has been invited to give a talk titled “Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease: An Environmental Health Perspective” at the ABC2025 meeting in Innsbruck, Austria, on March 2. The ABC2025 meeting brings together leading scientists from around the world to discuss the latest advancements in ABC transporter proteins, covering both basic and applied aspects.
BHL proudly celebrates Atcharaporn’s perfect Bradford with a team pizza party! This long-standing tradition has remained a rare achievement, with only a few members reaching this high standard— the last in 2020. Atcharaporn’s achievement is even more special as she is the first in the lab to reach this milestone with a sample! We look forward to celebrating many more of these milestones in the future!
The BHL team takes the plunge at the Lexington Polar Plunge! The team fundraised a total of $1,308 for Special Olympics Kentucky, which supports individuals with intellectual disabilities. This tradition started back in 2011 when the lab, then located in Minnesota, joined nearly 900 participants in the Polar Bear Plunge and jumped into the below freezing temperatures of Lake Superior. The current team was lucky that, despite the rain, their plunge was only a frigid 46° F. The team couldn’t be more excited to do it again next year!
View a brief summary of the paper in video format!
Do You Know the Two Luciferase-Expressing Mouse Glioblastoma Models? | Encyclopedia MDPI
Neurovascular deficits and blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction are major hallmarks of brain trauma and neurodegenerative diseases. Oxidative stress is a prominent contributor to neurovascular unit (NVU) dysfunction and can propagate BBB disruption. Oxidative damage results in an imbalance of mitochondrial homeostasis, which can further drive functional impairment of brain capillaries. To this end, we developed a method to track mitochondrial-related changes after oxidative stress in the context of neurovascular pathophysiology as a critical endophenotype of neurodegenerative diseases.
Our collaborative work with Dr. Gold and his team underscores the potential of combining blood biomarkers and brain imaging to identify early signs of vascular contributions to cognitive decline. By measuring levels of S100b, an indirect marker of blood-brain barrier leakage, and pairing it with advanced neuroimaging, we identified patterns associated with memory loss in older adults. The findings underscore how a multimodal approach can better predict who’s at risk for vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID).
This study highlights plasma S100β as a promising non-invasive biomarker for early detection and progression monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease. Given its strong association with cognitive decline and AD pathology, S100β could serve as a valuable diagnostic tool, addressing the urgent need for accessible biomarkers to guide early interventions and treatment strategies.
Neurovascular deficits and blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction are major hallmarks of brain trauma and neurodegenerative diseases. Oxidative stress is a prominent contributor to neurovascular unit (NVU) dysfunction and can propagate BBB disruption. Oxidative damage results in an imbalance of mitochondrial homeostasis, which can further drive functional impairment of brain capillaries. To this end, we developed a method to track mitochondrial-related changes after oxidative stress in the context of neurovascular pathophysiology as a critical endophenotype of neurodegenerative diseases.
Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults. Despite surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, survival rates remain low, which emphasizes the urgent need for improved therapies. Current preclinical models use untreated tumors, which do not reflect the clinical scenario where patients already receive initial treatments. This review examines the effects of current treatments on the properties of recurrent tumors and evaluates preclinical models that incorporate these standard treatments to better mimic real patient conditions. Improving these models could help to identify more effective treatments, potentially leading to better outcomes for glioblastoma patients.
Inconsistent engraftment of luciferase-expressing tumors, especially GL261 Red-FLuc, has been reported in the recent literature. However, techniques to improve tumor take have not been described. Our study aimed to optimize two luciferase-expressing mouse glioblastoma models, GL261 Red-FLuc and TRP-mCherry-FLuc, which revealed differences in tumor development and characteristics. Congratulations Louis!
We celebrated Louis for completing his PhD, Tiffany for completing her PharmD/MS, and Jason for completing his MD. We are very proud of you and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!
Louis received his Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Bjoern hooded Louis during the official UK College of Pharmacy Graduation Recognition Ceremony. Congratulations, Louis!
Tiffany received her Doctor of Pharmacy and her Master in Pharmaceutical Sciences. The University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy’s 2024 Graduation Recognition Ceremony took place in the Singletary Center for the Arts. Tiffany was one of 9 Master of Science/PharmD Recipients. Congratulations, Tiffany!
Louis successfully defended his PhD research entitled “Inhibiting PI3K/Akt to Enhance Brain Uptake of Anticancer Agents in Glioblastoma.” Louis joined the BHL in 2019 as an MD/PhD student studying the overexpression of drug-efflux pumps in glioblastoma and the development of a novel therapeutic strategy to increase brain uptake of anticancer drugs. Louis will now continue finishing his MD in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky. Congratulations, Louis!
Tiffany joined the BHL in May 2021 as a Master’s student in Pharmaceutical Sciences to work on the role of NOX2 as a new drug target in Alzheimer’s disease to repair blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Tiffany successfully defended and will graduate with a dual PharmD/MS degree on May 3. Congratulations, Tiffany!
Alzheimer’s disease patients develop blood-brain barrier dysfunction to varying degrees. How aging impacts Aβ pathology, blood-brain barrier function, and cognitive decline remains largely unknown. In this study, we used 5xFAD mice to investigate changes in Aβ levels, barrier function, and cognitive decline over time. Congratulations on your first author publication, Geetika!
Ute Hellmich, Professor for Biostructural Interactions at the Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry, and Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse at Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany, visited the BHL. We had a lively mentoring lunch with Dr. Hellmich, during which she talked about long hours in the lab and the importance of perseverance and shared her tips and tricks for success in academia.
Jasmine and Yingying were invited to join the UK Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society. Rho Chi is an international honor society that recognizes academic excellence in pharmacy. The society promotes pharmaceutical sciences and encourages fellowship and high scholastic achievement among pharmacy students. As a Rho Chi faculty member, Bjoern welcomed Jasmine and Yingying to the society members during the initiation banquet.
Drs. Vilma Sardao and Paulo Oliveira invited Anika to visit the Multidisciplinary Institute of Ageing and present BHL research on Alzheimer’s disease at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. Established in 1290, the University of Coimbra is one of the oldest universities worldwide and is a World Heritage Site, highlighting its historical role. Vilma and Paulo welcomed Anika on campus and, after Anika’s seminar, toured the research facilities and campus and shared their institution’s unique culture and traditions.
Our NIH R01-funded project on the role of bisphenols as risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease was highlighted in a UKNOW article. Human exposure to bisphenols is inevitable due to their widespread presence in the environment. Bisphenols are used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins and are found in food containers, water bottles, and the lining of cans. Our lab is examining how bisphenols trigger blood-brain barrier dysfunction and memory problems and how this could accelerate Alzheimer’s disease. Read more: https://medicine.uky.edu/news/uk-study-chemicals-plastics-could-be-risk-factor-2024-02-28t10-04-28
The BHL team jumped into ice-cold water in the middle of winter at the Lexington Polar Plunge, a fundraiser for Special Olympics Kentucky that supports individuals with intellectual disabilities. The BHL team raised $750 for Special Olympics. The tradition goes back to 2011, when the first BHL members participated in the Polar Bear Plunge on February 19, 2011, in Duluth, Minnesota, with nearly 900 people jumping into Lake Superior at below-freezing temperatures.
Cheering on the Wildcats to victory, Anika was recognized as the “Power of Women” at the UK Women’s Basketball game at Rupp Arena. The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program has honored female leaders in the Lexington area with the “Power of Women” award since 2018. The commemorative basketball has now its home in Anika’s office.