PSTP Faculty Mentors & Resident Researchers

Enrique Chu Han, M.D.

Area of Interest: Functional Neuroimaging, Interventional Psychiatry
Mentor: Manish Jha, M.D., Madhukar Trivedi, M.D.
Grant: R25 in process

My current project is studying connectome harmonics in major depressive disorder. Connectome harmonics are an elegant way of making sense of the dynamics of large-scale brain activity by decomposing it as a sum of basis spatial patterns akin to a Fourier transform in the spatial rather than temporal domain. I am analyzing a large fMRI depression dataset to explore whether there is a connectome harmonics signature in MDD and what this could tell us about the pathophysiology of the condition.

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Navid Manouchehri M.D.

Area of Interest: CNS Inflammation, Multiple Sclerosis
Mentor: Olaf Stüve, M.D, Ph.D.
Grant:In process

I am currently characterizing pertinent bone marrow derived myeloid cell subsets within the central nervous system that mediate acute inflammation and may lend to pathologic events leading to neurodegeneration. I work on novel therapeutic measures to minimize these deleterious effects. Our group is establishing new methods to reinstate homeostasis within the inflamed CNS myeloid pool.

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Nil Saez Calveras, M.D.

Area of Interest: Neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease
Mentor: Marc Diamond, M.D.
Grant: TARDIS

My research project is focused on the development of chimeric antigen receptor-macrophages (CAR-M cells) that can bind, phagocytose, and degrade pathologic Tau species. We plan to validate this technology in vitro and in a mouse model of tauopathy for its potential use as a targeted therapy in Alzheimer's disease.

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Marco Tapia Maltos, M.D., Ph.D.

Area of Interest: Neuroimmunology, Autoimmunity, Immunological tolerance
Mentor: Olaf Stüve, M.D, Ph.D.
Grant: R25 in process

I am interested in the mechanisms that govern immunological tolerance and influence effector responses against self-antigens in neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). In Dr. Stüve’s laboratory, my main objective is to elucidate if myelin-reactive cells need to engage with MAdCAM-1 (a specific adhesion molecule found in the endothelium of blood vessels in the intestine) in order to migrate through the gut and acquire pathogenic properties that confer them the potential to cause experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS. Moreover, we are also looking into changes in the mucosal-associated microbiota and whether the enrichment in a particular species of bacteria can be used as a biomarker of active disease.

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Syed Faaiz Enam, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.

Area of Interest: Brain tumors (glioblastoma), Hypothermia (cytostatic), Bioengineering
Mentor: Toral Patel, M.D., Amyn Habib, M.D., Ankur Patel, M.D.
Grant: OBI Sprouts grant, Annette Strauss Center for Neuro-Oncology Endowment, R25 in process

Hypothermia can halt the growth of glioblastoma and extend the survival of rodents with GBM. I am now developing a fully implantable neural device and system to apply ‘cytostatic’ hypothermia and testing it in pigs. We want to develop this technology to become a real option for patients who otherwise do not have any.

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Mayank Verma, M.D., Ph.D.

Area of Interest: Gene Therapy
Mentor: Berge Minassian, M.D.
Grant: OBI Sprouts grant, 2023 Million Dollar Bike Ride Grant Program, UTSW Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center

I study gene therapies focused on the central nervous system in Glycogen storage disorders and Unverricht-Lundborg disease. We are using intrathecal AAV9 as a platform for our preclinical studies. I am also working on validating treatment-responsive biomarkers from our preclinical studies from patients around the USA.

Barbara Stopschinski, M.D.

Area of Interest: Post-translational modulators of Tau propagation
Mentor: Marc Diamond, M.D.
Post-Residency: Instructor, UTSW

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Victor Salinas, M.D., Ph.D.

Area of Interest: Modulators of neuroinflammation in EAE
Mentor: Olaf Stüve, M.D, Ph.D.
Post-Residency: Instructor, UTSW

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Sheng Chiang, M.D., Ph.D.

Area of Interest: Neurocognitive changes and neuromodulation in TBI
Mentor: John Hart, M.D., Ph.D.
Post-Residency: Instructor, UTSW
NIH Research Support: K99/ R00

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Brian Hitt, M.D., Ph.D.

Area of Interest: Studying propagation of tau pathology
Mentor: Marc Diamond, M.D.
Post-Residency: Assistant Professor, UC Irvine
Research Support: Alzheimer Association Career Development Award

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Isaac Marin-Valencia, M.D.

Area of Interest: Inherited neurodevelopmental disorders
Mentor:Juan Pascual, M.D., Ph.D.
Post-Residency: Assistant Professor, Mount Sinai
NIH Research Support: K08 award

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William Renthal, M.D., Ph.D.

Area of Interest: Molecular genetics in headache
Mentor: Michael Greenberg, M.D.
Post-Residency: Assistant Professor, Harvard | Director, Molecular Genetics (BIDMC)
NIH Research Support: NINDS K08, NIDA DP1, NINDS R01, NINDS U19

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Julio Rojas-Martinez, M.D. Ph.D.

Area of Interest: Dementia, Biomarkers, and alternative therapies for Alzheimer's disease
Mentor: Francisco Gonzalez-Lima, PhD
Post-Residency: Associate Professor, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences
NIH Research Support: NINDS K23

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Svjetlana Miocinovic, M.D., Ph.D.

Area of Interest: Targeted activation of neural pathways with DBS
Mentor: Shilpa Chitnis, M.D., Ph.D.
Post-Residency: Assistant Professor, Emory & Georgia Tech
NIH Research Support: NINDS K23, NINDS R01, NINDS P50

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James Battiste, M.D., Ph.D

Area of Interest: Dynamics of Glioblastoma migration
Mentor: Robert Bachoo, M.D., Ph.D.
Post-Residency: Associate Professor, Oklahoma University | Director, Stephenson Neuro-Oncology Center
NIH Research Support: NIGMS P20

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