Dr. Deng invited Dr. John Gensel to give a seminar talk in Stark Neurosciences Research Institute

We were honored to host Dr. John Gensel, PhD, Director of the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC) at the University of Kentucky, for a seminar at the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute. Dr. Gensel is a nationally recognized leader in spinal cord injury research whose work focuses on the role of macrophages in neurotrauma, particularly their dual functions in driving damage and promoting repair. His recent NIH-funded studies highlight how aging alters macrophage responses and impairs recovery, an emerging challenge as the SCI patient population grows older. In addition to his mechanistic studies, Dr. Gensel is advancing translational approaches, including immunomodulatory therapies such as azithromycin, with the goal of shifting immune cell phenotypes to improve outcomes after SCI. His seminar, “Tailoring the macrophage response to spinal cord injury: the effect of age on neuroinflammation,” offered valuable insights into age-related immune mechanisms and their therapeutic potential.