Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC | Virginia Tech Health & Biomedical Research
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Sept. 17, 2026
In a tight spot, mice look to their friends
When mice heard a sound they thought signaled danger, they moved closer to a familiar companion, according to Virginia Tech researchers.
They did not do the same when paired with a mouse they didn’t know.
The study, led by Alexei Morozov of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and published in the September issue of Neuropsychopharmacology, begins to reveal how the brain turns a warning signal into a drive to seek familiar company.
Scientists have long observed that animals gather when confronted with immediate threats such as predators. The new study asked whether a learned warning signal could produce a similar response and, if so, which biological mechanisms might be involved.
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mTor Signaling in Pulmonary Vascular Disease: Bench to Bedside and Back , homeSept. 25, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Elena Goncharova, Ph.D., ATSF, FAHA, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine; Director, Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program, UC Davis School of Medicine | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Center for Vascular and Heart Research
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Exercise, the Fountain of Youth? , homeOct. 15, 2026, 5:30 p.m. (Reception at 5 p.m.) | Zhen Yan, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Center for Exercise Medicine Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC | Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture
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mTor Signaling in Pulmonary Vascular Disease: Bench to Bedside and Back , homeSept. 25, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Elena Goncharova, Ph.D., ATSF, FAHA, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine; Director, Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program, UC Davis School of Medicine | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Center for Vascular and Heart Research
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Research in Progress Seminar , homeSept. 29, 2026, 4 to 5 p.m. | Rabeya Khondaker, Graduate Student, Swanger Lab and Samia Tasneem, Research Assistant, Warren Lab | Fall Research in Progress Seminar Series
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How Can Research Inform Better Public Policy Towards Addiction? , homeOct. 2, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Keith Humphreys, OBE, Ph.D., Esther Ting Memorial Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Center for Health Behaviors Research
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Exercise, the Fountain of Youth? , homeOct. 15, 2026, 5:30 p.m. (Reception at 5 p.m.) | Zhen Yan, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Center for Exercise Medicine Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC | Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture
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Data-Driven Discovery of Secreted Proteins as Cancer Immunotherapies , homeOct. 16, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Peng Jiang, Ph.D., Senior Investigator, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Cancer Research Center — D.C.
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Mapping Different Excitatory and Inhibitory Input Types onto Single Cortical Pyramidal Neurons , homeOct. 30, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Elly Nedivi, Ph.D., William R. (1964) & Linda R. Young Professor of Neuroscience, The Picower Institute for Learning & Memory, Departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Center for Neurobiology Research
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