In January, the Buckley lab was awarded a 4 year R01 from the NIH/NHLBI to investigate the utility of NIRS/DCS to study the brain in children with sickle cell disease. Children with sickle cell disease have a high risk of silent stroke and cognitive deficits caused in part by anemia-induced changes in tissue-level brain blood flow, cerebrovascular reactivity, and oxygen extraction. This project will determine if NIRS/DCS are sensitive to changes in the brain associated with these silent strokes and their treatment. Our long-term goal is to develop a low-cost brain monitoring tool that can screen for silent infarct risk in pediatric sickle cell disease to facilitate timely therapeutic intervention.

Dr. Buckley was recently awarded an R01 from the NINDS to study the role of p38 MAPK signaling in neurons after repetitive mild traumatic brain injury. This multi-disciplenary work will be performed with co-PI Dr. Levi Wood (Georgia Tech, Mechanical Engineering). It is well known that repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries (rmTBIs) can lead to long-term cognitive changes, neurodegeneration, and dementia. However, the mechanisms responsible for the long-term effects of repetitive mTBI are poorly understood and effective therapeutic strategies are lacking. This proposal will use a physiologically relevant mouse model of repetitive mTBI to determine if stress response in neurons is responsible for triggering neuroinflammation, loss of cognitive function, and reduction in brain blood flow.

We currently have two Research Technician openings, one to help manage our preclinical studies, and one to help with clinical studies. See the Join the Team tab for more information on job responsibilities, qualifications, and how to apply.