The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC lineup for the 2025-26 Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series will feature 18 internationally renowned scientists sharing the latest discoveries on topics spanning neuroscience, cardiovascular science, cancer biology, sensory research, metabolism, and health policy.
Now entering its 15th year, the lecture series reflects the institute’s wide-ranging scientific reach and aligns with its focus on disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
The series began Sept. 5 with Thelma Escobar, a biochemist from the University of Washington, who explored how mammals inherit chromatin domains and how misregulation of histone chaperone function can result in cancer. Other fall highlights include lectures on vascular signaling, alcohol’s impact on chemosensory function, and the neuroscience of thought.
The series began this year at the institute’s labs at the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C., with the remaining speakers in person on the Health Sciences and Technology campus at 4 Riverside Circle in Roanoke, Virginia. All lectures begin at 11 a.m. on Fridays.
Hosted by the institute’s specialized research centers, the talks highlight collaborations across disciplines and across the biomedical research spectrum:
- Sept. 5: “Inheriting Chromatin Domains in Mammals and the Mechanisms Involved,” Thelma Escobar, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington
- Sept. 19: “Flow Induced Endothelial Planar Polarity for Signaling Regulation,” Julia Mack, assistant adjunct professor, David Geffen School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California Los Angeles
- Oct. 3: “The Bitter Truth: Alcohol Use and Its Effects on Chemosensory Function,” Paule Valery Joseph, Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, NIH Distinguished Scholar, acting chief, Section of Sensory Science and Metabolism Unit, Co-Director of the National Smell and Taste Center, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health
- Oct. 17: “Organization and Control of Hippocampal Networks,” Ivan Soltesz, James R. Doty Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurosciences, Stanford University
- Oct. 31: “Thinking the Right Thoughts,” Nathaniel Daw, professor, Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Princeton University
- Nov. 21: “Understanding Vascular Morphogenesis and Morphology: Live Insights from Zebrafish,” Arndt F. Siekmann, associate professor, Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
- Dec. 12: “The Metabolic Switch in Development and Degeneration,” Elizabeth Jonas, Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Internal Medicine (Endocrinology), Yale School of Medicine
- Jan. 16: “Innovative Strategies for Overcoming Challenges in Brain Tumor Treatment,” Kristin Huntoon, assistant professor, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Arizona
- Jan. 30: “Policies to Reduce Ultra-processed Foods: Lessons from Around the Globe,” Lindsey Smith Taillie, associate professor of nutrition, associate chair of nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Feb. 13: “Early Childhood Brain Development and Risk for Schizophrenia,” John Gilmore, Eure Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Psychiatry, UNC School of Medicine
- Feb. 27: “Is It What You Eat or When You Eat? Evidence for Time Restricted Eating in Humans,” Lisa Chow, professor of medicine, Pennock Family Land Grant Chair in Diabetes Research, University of Minnesota
- March 13: “A Nicotine-Focused Regulatory Strategy: The Science,” Dorothy Hatsukami, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Forster Family Chair in Cancer Prevention, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
- March 27: “From BDNF to Rett Syndrome: Synapses, Networks, and Social Behaviors in Mecp2 Mutant Mice,” Lucas Pozzo-Miller, Mall Family Endowed Professor for Genetic Autism Research, Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University College of Medicine
- April 10: “The Effects of Aging and Physical Activity on Cardiovascular Structure and Function,” Ben Levine, Clinical Heart and Vascular Center, Distinguished Professorship in Exercise Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center
- April 17: “New Insights into Cardiac Mechanobiology: Role of Caveolar Nanodomains in Mechano-electrochemical Signal Transduction,” Alexey Glukhov, associate professor, Cardiovascular Medicine, UW-Madison Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, University of Wisconsin
- May 1: “Advancing the Treatment of Traumatic Stress and Addictions: How Data Science Can Move the Field Forward,” Denise Hien, Helen E. Chaney Endowed Chair in Alcohol Studies, distinguished professor, Rutgers Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University-New Brunswick
- May 15: “Spatial Entropy of Brain Network Landscapes,” Paul Laurienti, professor of radiology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
- May 29: “Unraveling Mechanisms of BCAA Compartmentalization and Crosstalk in Cardiometabolic Disease,” Philip James White, associate professor of medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, & Nutrition, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University School of Medicine
All seminars are free and open to the public and may be attended in person or via livestream. The full year-long series can be viewed in full at this link.
