By Todd Taylor
The McKnight Brain Institute has allocated seed funding across 18 new projects through the MBI Accelerator Program, aimed at bolstering emerging research in neuroscience and neuromedicine at the University of Florida.
“The MBI Accelerator Program allows us to invest in scientists at a pivotal stage, when a strong idea can benefit most from targeted support,” said MBI Director Jennifer Bizon, Ph.D. “This year’s projects reflect the wide range of questions, methodologies and perspectives that define neuroscience research at UF. Together, they highlight how progress is strengthened by drawing on complementary expertise, interdisciplinary approaches and a collaborative culture that enables innovative ideas to flourish within the MBI community.”
The MBI distributed a total of $890,000 in awards to investigators across six UF colleges and 14 departments. Projects were selected through a competitive scientific review process led by Jose Abisambra, Ph.D., the MBI’s associate director for research programs, with committee members drawn from across the institute’s research community.
“We are grateful for the support of the MBI Accelerator Program, which funded our work related to the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying resilience to alcohol use disorder. The accelerator allowed us to generate preliminary data that strengthened a competitive NIH R01 application, which was subsequently funded,” said Amanda Elton, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and a recipient of the award in 2025.
Support from philanthropic partners is crucial to the success of the Accelerator Program as well as institutional collaborations with UF Research; the departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Neuroscience and Physiology and Aging; the UF Health Cancer Institute; the Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory; and the Center for OCD, Anxiety & Related Disorders.
To explore how your support can help advance the MBI Accelerator Program, contact MBI Senior Director of Development Caitie Deranek Stewart (stewartc1@ufl.edu).
2026 MBI Accelerator Program Award recipients:
Leveraging AI for closed loop epidural stimulation and respiratory recovery from spinal injury
Erica Dale, Ph.D.
College of Medicine
Risks and benefits of mGlu5 receptor pharmacotherapy for cocaine use disorder
Marek Schwendt, Ph.D.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Detection of endogenous oxytocin after artificially stimulated or naturally evoked activity of hypothalamic oxytocinergic neurons
Charles Frazier, Ph.D.
College of Pharmacy
Leveraging LITT and personalized medicine for the treatment of glioblastoma
Maryam Rahman, M.D.
College of Medicine
Tocilizumab for subarachnoid hemorrhage: Reduction in ischemic vascular events (THRIVE)
Brian Hoh, M.D.
College of Medicine
A peptidomimetic modulator of the CaV2.2 N-type calcium channel for chronic pain
Rajesh Khanna, Ph.D.
College of Medicine
Establishing an ultra-high resolution ex vivo MRI-histopathology pipeline at 17.6T for Alzheimer’s disease
Bradley Wilkes, Ph.D.
College of Health and Human Performance
A new model for the rapid and efficient production of adult iPSC-derived human neurons
Matthew LaVoie, Ph.D., and Maurice Swanson, Ph.D.
College of Medicine
Targeting α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to improve neuroinflammation, sleep and recovery after traumatic brain injury
Erwin Kristobal Gudenschwager Basso, Ph.D.
College of Medicine
Transcriptional signatures of prosocial behaviors in the amygdala
Paola Giusti-Rodriguez, Ph.D., and Nancy Padilla-Coreano, Ph.D.
College of Medicine
Leveraging the genetic toolkit of Drosophila in an AI-driven virtual reality environment to study cognitive behaviors
Alfonso Martin-Pena, Ph.D.
College of Medicine
Extracellular matrix alterations in a high-confidence genetic model of Tourette syndrome
Marco Bortolato, M.D., Ph.D. and Kimberly Alonge, Ph.D.
Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine
SSR1-mediated microRNA regulation in Alzheimer’s disease
Mingyi Xie, Ph.D.
College of Medicine
Imperceptible audiovisual flicker sensory stimulation to combat Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline
Daniel Ferris, Ph.D.
College of Engineering
Precision behavioral intervention for amnestic MCI: Systolic blood pressure and astrocyte reactivity (GFAP) predict cognitive and functional response
Shellie-Anne Levy, Ph.D.
College of Public Health and Health Professions
The starving brain: Overcoming glucose hypometabolism in Alzheimer’s disease
Matthew Merritt, Ph.D.
College of Medicine
Targeted degradation of glycogen synthase 1 using PROTACs: A potential therapy for Lafora disease
Xingui Liu, Ph.D., and Matthew Gentry, Ph.D.
Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine
Brain microvascular function after exertional heat stroke: Assessing the role of brain-gut axis interplay
Orlando Laitano, Ph.D.
College of Health and Human Performance