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Brain Awareness Week: Brain School

Brain School

An annual Brain Awareness Week campaign hosted by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
March 9, 2026, 5-7:30 p.m.

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Brain School 2026
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Brain School 2026: Genes, Brains & Breakthroughs: The Future Promise of Cell & Gene Therapy for Brain Disorders

March 9, 2026, 5 p.m., 4 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, Virginia

Speakers | Q&A | Research Facility Tours | Brain Research Expo

Register to Attend

Brain School Speakers (6-7:30 p.m.)

A Primer on Genetics, Brain Disorders, and the Promise of Gene Therapy

From Genes to the Brain: Understanding 22q11.2 Deletion Dyndrome

Targeting Genetic Mutations in Epilepsy: Clues from the Synapse 

Expo Presenters

Stirring milk

Food and the Brain

The DiFeliceantonio Lab

Electric brain

Into the Brain with Technology 

The Legon Lab

Display table

ACQUIRE Therapy Building Neural Connections

Neuromotor Research Clinic

Albert Pan with zebrafish

Studying Brain Development in See-through Zebrafish

The Pan Lab

Brain missing puzzle piece

Investigating Origins of Psychiatric Conditions in the Human Brain

The Purcell Lab

Touching a brain

Brain Anatomy 101: Real Brains

Kristofer Rau

Focused ultrasound illustration

The Power of Sound

Jason Raymond

Maosen Wang, Ph.D.

Capturing Images of the Brain

Maosen Wang

Xuansong Mao, Ph.D.

Unlocking the Power of Exercise: How Mitochondria in Your Brain Boost Memory and Learning

The Yan lab

Ask a Brain Expert

Is the electricity in my brain the same thing that powers my phone? 

Can the brain be changed without surgery? 

What's going on inside your brain when you're dreaming? 

Is the brain able to change, or am I wired this way for life? 

Share brain science with your students

Resources for Educators

 

On-Demand Brain School Content

Tune into previous Brain School lectures.

An Introduction to Focused Ultrasound and Brain Modulation

Using Focused Ultrasound to Improve Drug Delivery for Brain Cancer

Precision Treatments for Childhood Brain Cancer with Focused Ultrasound

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