Researchers in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine are dedicated to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research, spanning from discovery science and translation to clinical care. With a diverse approach across investigators, all faculty focus on aspects of injury and disease that can be translated from the bench to the bedside—with implications for clinical practice and the operating room. Their goal is to improve patient care through multifaceted and multidisciplinary approaches, including basic science, clinical studies, neural engineering, informatics and outcomes research.
2022 Research highlights
Neurosurgery News
Learn more about published research and grant awards by Department of Neurosurgery investigators by visiting the IU School of Medicine newsroom.
61
publications
3.02
million dollars in total grant funding
16
total awards
Active Research
Projects include developing a new technique that may restore sensory loss after injury; developing new, noninvasive brain stimulation technique to treat neurological disorders, including pain, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease; successfully reprogramming glial cells in the central nervous system into new neurons that promote recovery after spinal cord injury and revealing an untapped potential to leverage these cell for regenerative medicine.
Clinicians work in concert with investigators at the Indiana Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group (ISCBIRG), an integrated component of Stark Neurosciences Research Institute. The group is comprised of a critical mass of key principal investigators who study the molecular mechanisms underlying spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. They work to develop novel repair strategies to promote neural reorganization and functional recovery in experimental models of these injuries. The long-term goal of these studies is to translate promising treatments from animal models to humans.
Faculty investigators also lead more than 20 clinical trials that specialize in neurosurgical clinical research of various disease states, such as hydrocephalus, epilepsy, cancers of the brain, traumatic brain injury and brain aneurysms. Many of these trials are conducted in collaboration with research institutions across the country.
Basic scientist labs
Damayanti Lab
The laboratory of Nur P. Damayanti, PhD researches multi-omics approaches and patient-derived models to obtain precision medicine for rare gliomas patients
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Deng Lab
The laboratory of Lingxiao Deng, PhD focuses understanding of neural plasticity after spinal cord injury and provide the fundamental basis for promising new therapies.
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Gao Lab
The laboratory of Xiang Gao, PhD focuses his investigations on the mechanisms of traumatic brain injury, ultimately working to explore potential therapeutics for repairing damaged neurons.
Learn More Gao Lab
surgeon scientist labs
Tailor Lab
The laboratory of Jignesh Tailor, MD, PhD has developed a unique human neural stem cell system to study the role of cancer predisposition gene mutations in brain tumorigenesis.
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Richardson Lab
The laboratory of Angela Richardson, MD, PhD is an independent research laboratory focusing on gene therapy and oncolytic virotherapy strategies for the treatment of brain tumors.
Learn More Richardson Lab