A neuroscience researcher from The University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for Advanced Pain Studies has been selected to receive a seed grant from the Merkin Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Diana Tavares Ferreira, assistant professor of neuroscience in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, is one of nine researchers in the 2025 cohort of grant recipients from the Johns Hopkins Merkin Peripheral Neuropathy and Nerve Regeneration Center. The two-year, $130,000 grant will support her work to uncover how disruptions in messenger RNA (mRNA) transport within peripheral nerves contribute to nerve degeneration.
“We are trying to understand what is happening at the cellular and molecular level in peripheral nerves and what’s changing in these patients with neuropathies,” she said. “We will study peripheral nerves recovered from amputation surgeries, most of which are the result of complications due to diabetic neuropathy.”
Peripheral neuropathies, resulting from diabetes, trauma, chemotherapy or other causes, affect more than 20 million people in the U.S. These neuropathies can encompass pain or loss of sensation, Tavares Ferreira said.
“We believe they are caused by pathological changes in the distal axons of sensory neurons, which emanate from the dorsal root ganglion. Most people who suffer from these neuropathies are only able to manage the symptoms; they can’t modify the disease,” she said. “Our main goal is to create foundational knowledge of peripheral neuropathy in human tissues so that, maybe someday, there can be disease-modifying drugs.”
Her project will use spatial transcriptomics, which maps gene expression in different regions of a tissue, to investigate the molecular changes underlying axonal degeneration with a focus on disruptions in mRNA transport within peripheral axons.
“Xenium spatial transcriptomics is a high-resolution technique that allows you to see the axonal compartment with unprecedented resolution,” she said. “We hope this can give us an idea of what types of fibers might be affected and how that could explain the different symptoms that people experience.”
Tavares Ferreira was a postdoctoral fellow at UT Dallas before joining the faculty in 2024 and serves as the principal investigator of the Axon Biology and Neuroinformatics Lab.
Moore Chair Named Fellow of ACNP
Dr. Francesca Filbey MS’97, professor of psychology and the Bert Moore Chair in BrainHealth in the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been chosen as one of 27 new fellows of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).
As director of the Neuroimaging of Reward Dynamics Lab in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Filbey is a leading researcher on the cognitive neuroscience of addiction and the reward system of the brain, specifically regarding marijuana and other substances of abuse. Her work uses multimodal imaging techniques to identify the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie reward-seeking behavior with the goal of discovering biomarkers as well as targets for intervention.
Some of her most recent work linked long-term cannabis use to sleep difficulties, which in turn can influence the severity of memory problems. She also has investigated the neurobiological effects of cannabis use for pain treatment as well as how usage patterns and motivations differ in those who use cannabis for recreational versus medicinal purposes.
“I am honored to be named fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and to be part of an inspiring community dedicated to advancing science and improving lives through groundbreaking research,” said Filbey, who is also senior associate provost for faculty success at UTD. “Becoming a fellow of this elite professional organization is a highly competitive and prestigious achievement.”
The ACNP is a nonprofit professional society dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of — and facilitating communication about — disorders of the brain and behavior in order to advance prevention and treatment. Election as a fellow signifies outstanding contributions to the field of neuropsychopharmacology.
Accolades is an occasional News Center feature that highlights recent accomplishments of The University of Texas at Dallas faculty, students and staff. To submit items for consideration, contact your school’s communications manager.