Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC | Virginia Tech Health & Biomedical Research
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Aug. 28, 2026
Beyond trial and error: A more precise approach to psychiatry
Imagine watching a son or daughter begin college during a formative time in life, only to have schizophrenia suddenly alter their reality. They may begin hearing voices no one else can hear or believe that strangers are watching them. To people with schizophrenia, these types of experiences are real.
“The problem is for both the patient and the family — they’re living in alternate realities,” said Michael Halassa, a physician-scientist and professor who leads both laboratory and clinical research programs at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. “Changes in the person’s brain have affected their perception of reality. It’s a tragic situation.”
Finding a treatment that works is a challenge.
That challenge will be at the center of the research institute’s Precision Therapeutics symposium Sept. 23-24, which will bring pharmaceutical leaders, scientists and clinicians to Virginia Tech to explore precision therapeutics and computational approaches to schizophrenia. The goal is to identify biological differences among patients that can help guide treatment.
Campus News
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Precision Therapeutics for Schizophrenia Symposium , homeSept. 23-24, 2026 | Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC | 4 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, Virginia
Creating a healthier future. For everyone.
The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is one of the nation’s fastest-growing academic biomedical research enterprises and a destination for world-class biomedical, behavioral, and computational researchers focused on advancing scientific understanding of human health through groundbreaking research in preventing, diagnosing, and treating the world’s leading causes of death and suffering.
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VIDEOS
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Why Measure? , homeSept. 17, 2026, 5:30 p.m. (Reception at 5 p.m.) | Christopher S. Hourigan, DM, DPhil, FRCP, Professor and Director, Cancer Research Center — D.C., Fralin Biomedical Research Institute | Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture
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Dissertation Defense: The Presence and Bioactivity of Connexin-43 and Pannexin-1 in Milk-derived Small Extracellular Vesicles , homeSept. 18, 2026, 2 p.m. | Md Ruhul Amin | Graduate Student Dissertation Defense
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Brown Adipose Tissue as a Mediator of Cardiovascular Health , homeSept. 18, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Kristin Stanford, Ph.D., FAHA, Professor, Department of Surgery; William D. and Jacquelyn L. Wells Chair, Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Center for Exercise Medicine Research
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Precision Therapeutics for Schizophrenia Symposium , redirectSept. 23-24, 2026 | Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC | 4 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, Virginia
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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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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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Your generous support of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute's rigorous biomedical research enterprise makes a difference for our faculty, students, and patients. Every donation helps accelerate the pace of new discoveries to help patients with cancer, neurological disorders, heart disease, and even rare genetic disorders. Private donations fast-track our progress.