Welcome!
The Vollum Institute is a privately endowed research institute at Oregon Health & Science University dedicated to basic research that will lead to new treatments for neurological and psychiatric diseases. Vollum scientists have broad-ranging interests that coalesce around molecular neurobiology and cellular physiology. Their work has transformed the field of neuroscience and, in particular, has provided important advances in the study of synaptic transmission, neuronal development, neurotransmitter transporters, ion channels and the neurobiology of disease.
Learn more about the Vollum's mission
Vollum Seminar Series
The 2024–2025 Vollum Seminar Series has concluded. Please check back in early fall for the 2025–2026 speaker schedule.
Friday Work–In–Progress Talks
The Friday "work-in-progress" (WIP) seminars occur weekly during the academic year and provide an opportunity for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students to share their current research projects in an interactive and less formal environment.
The 2024–2025 "work-in-progress" (WIP) seminars have concluded. Please check back in early fall for the 2025–2026 speaker schedule.
Research highlights
Gating and noelin clustering of native Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors.
Fang C, Spangler CJ, Park J, Sheldon N, Trussell LO, Gouaux E. Nature. 2025 Jun 23. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09289-0. Online ahead of print. PMID: 40550474.
Distinct functional domains of Dystroglycan regulate inhibitory synapse formation and maintenance in cerebellar Purkinje cells.
Jahncke JN, Schnell E, Wright KM. Commun Biol. 2025 Jun 5;8(1):878. doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-08323-1. PMID: 40473926 Free PMC article.
Tolerance in Thalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Neurons Following Chronic Treatment of Animals with Morphine.
Koita O, Lebowitz JJ, Williams JT. eNeuro. 2025 Jun 11;12(6):ENEURO.0249-24.2025. doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0249-24.2025. Print 2025 Jun. PMID: 40456612 Free PMC article.
Generation of Conformation-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies for Integral Membrane Proteins.
Sheldon N, Dhandapani G, Kim J, Spangler CJ, Fang C, Park J, Rao P, Gouaux E. Curr Protoc. 2025 May;5(5):e70142. doi: 10.1002/cpz1.70142. PMID: 40418540 Free PMC article.
AnnSQL: a Python SQL-based package for fast large-scale single-cell genomics analysis using minimal computational resources.
Pavan K, Saunders A. Bioinform Adv. 2025 May 5;5(1):vbaf105. doi: 10.1093/bioadv/vbaf105. eCollection 2025. PMID: 40417654 Free PMC article.
GPCR signaling gates astrocyte responsiveness to neurotransmitters and control of neuronal activity.
Guttenplan KA, Maxwell I, Santos E, Borchardt LA, Manzo E, Abalde-Atristain L, Kim RD, Freeman MR. Science. 2025 May 15;388(6748):763-768. doi: 10.1126/science.adq5729. Epub 2025 May 15. PMID: 40373148.
Structural basis of lipid transfer by a bridge-like lipid-transfer protein.
Kang Y, Lehmann KS, Long H, Jefferson A, Purice M, Freeman M, Clark S. Nature. 2025 Jun;642(8066):242-249. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-08918-y. Epub 2025 Apr 23. PMID: 40269155.
Mechanism of small heat shock protein client sequestration and induced polydispersity.
Miller AP, Reichow SL. Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 16;16(1):3635. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58964-3. PMID: 40240363 Free PMC article.
Dock1 functions in Schwann cells to regulate development, maintenance, and repair.
Doan RA, Monk KR. J Cell Biol. 2025 May 5;224(5):e202311041. doi: 10.1083/jcb.202311041. Epub 2025 Mar 19. PMID: 40105697 Free PMC article.
Morphological and functional decline of the SNc in a model of progressive parkinsonism.
Muñoz JM, Williams JT, Lebowitz JJ. NPJ Parkinsons Dis. 2025 Jan 29;11(1):24. doi: 10.1038/s41531-025-00873-9. PMID: 39875379 Free PMC article.
Structural insights into subunit-dependent functional regulation in epithelial sodium channels.
Houser A, Baconguis I. Structure. 2025 Feb 6;33(2):349-362.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.str.2024.11.013. Epub 2024 Dec 11. PMID: 39667931.
Synaptotagmins 3 and 7 mediate the majority of asynchronous release from synapses in the cerebellum and hippocampus.
Weingarten DJ, Shrestha A, Orlin DJ, Le Moing CL, Borchardt LA, Jackman SL. Cell Rep. 2024 Aug 6;43(8):114595. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114595. PMID: 39116209.
OHSU team discovers new synaptic receptor assembly involved in brain function
For the first time, scientists using cryo-electron microscopy have discovered the structure and shape of key receptors connecting neurons in the brain’s cerebellum, which is located behind the brainstem and plays a critical role in functions such as coordinating movement, balance and cognition.
The research, published today in the journal Nature, provides new insight that could lead to the development of therapies to repair these structures when they are disrupted either by injury or genetic mutations affecting learning, memory and motor skills like sitting, standing, walking, running and jumping.
Sci Pol PDX hosts conversation with elected officials
Sci Pol PDX hosted Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Representative Hai Pham at OHSU last week to give the OHSU community, including scientists in training, an opportunity to ask Oregon’s elected officials questions and make their voices heard. Many thanks to Sarahi Garza and the Sci Pol PDX team for organizing this event!
Federal cuts narrow career pipeline for budding science researchers in Oregon
Natalia Quintana Parrilla loves being a science researcher. But the 24-year-old Oregon Health and Science University research assistant said the work is sometimes maddening.
“It’s very frustrating and you fail most of the time,” Parrilla said. “But those little moments, those eureka moments when you figure something out — that feeling is indescribable.”
But getting started on that career is not always clear, especially for young people like Parrilla who may be unsure whether scientific research is right for them. That’s why she applied for Oregon Health and Science University’s Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program, or PREP.
OHSU study reveals impact of oft-overlooked cell in brain function
An often-ignored type of cell in the brain plays a dynamic and surprisingly complex role in our ability to process information, according to new research from Oregon Health & Science University.
The study, published today in the journal Science, provides direct evidence for the real-time action of a star-shaped type of glial cell, known as astrocytes, in the live brains of fruit flies. The abundant cell type — roughly 35% of all cells in the human brain — appears to be a key part of orchestrating a complex network governing brain function.
More news and accolades
Recognition for our early career awardees
Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are usually supported by research grants to individual faculty or by institutional training grants from the NIH. However, a sought-after perk for trainees is to obtain an individual fellowship from federal sources or foundations. Such awards are an honor and also provide important financial support for the trainee and their lab. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the Vollum Institute have been remarkably successful in obtaining these awards over the past few years. This is a credit to the quality of the trainees and the support they receive from their mentors. Congratulations to all.
The Lacroute Fellows Program invests in School of Medicine graduate education, by supporting exceptional students performing innovative research in the Vollum/OHSU Neuroscience Graduate Program.
- Adam Coombs, Emery Lab and Monk Lab
- Michéla Mondesir, Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Research Lab and Laboratory of Brain, Hearing, and Behavior
These 1-year fellowships cover $24,000 of the student’s stipend and provide an allowance of $1,000 for related expenses, such as attending scientific conferences or courses.
Read the full article.
Cody Call, Ph.D., Monk Lab
NINDS F32: “Regulation of node of Ranvier formation and maintenance by astrocytes.”
Alejandra Fernandez, Ph.D., Wright Lab
Collins Medical Trust: “The role of Pten signaling in the intrinsic control of somatosensory neuron diversification.”
Kevin Guttenplan, Ph.D., Freeman Lab
Helen Hay Whitney Foundation: “How do astrocytes regulate neuronal circuits?”
Dongeun Heo, Ph.D., Monk/Freeman Labs
NINDS F32: "Investigating the role of diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI) in astrocytes and neural circuit maturation."
Taylor Jay, Ph.D., Freeman Lab
NINDS K99/ROO: "Investigating novel mechanisms that underlie glial-mediated synapse elimination in development and aging."
Yunsik Kang, Ph.D., Freeman Lab
NINDS K99/ROO Pathway to Independence: “How do astrocytes remodel neuronal circuits?”
Alex Nevue, Ph.D., Saunders Lab
BRAIN Initiative/NINDS F32: "Postnatal experience shapes gene expression and connectivity development in the cortex."
Cathy Spangler, Ph.D., Gouaux Lab
NIH Natl Cancer Inst: “Structural and functional characterization of native AMPA receptor complexes in glioblastoma.”
Dennis Weingarten, Ph.D., Jackman Lab
Grass Fellowship at MBL: "Sour patch: Electrophysiological study of synaptic transmission during hypercapnia in the lamprey.”
Landon Bayless-Edwards, Mao Lab
NIDA NRSA F30: "Intracellular signaling mechanisms underlying opioid modulation of pain"
Hannah Collins, Monk and Emery Labs
NINDS F31: “Control of CNS Myelination by the E3 Ligase Component Fbxw7”
Arielle Isakharov, Wright Lab
NEI F31 Predoctoral Fellowship: "Genetic analysis of the Robo3+ glycinergic amacrine cell"
Jennifer Jenks, Emery Lab
National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship
Tania Miramontes, Monk Lab
NINDS F31: "Investigating the role of cannabinoid receptors in oligodendrocyte development"
Melanie Piller, Monk Lab
NINDS F31: "The role of P/Q-type channels in oligodendrocyte lineage cell development"
Yessica Santana Agreda, Wright Lab
HHMI Gilliam Fellow: "Transcriptional Control of Starburst Amacrine Cell Specification and Maturation"
Erin Santos, Freeman Lab
HHMI Gilliam Fellow: "CamKII-Dependent Mechanisms of Astrocyte Ca2+ Signaling"
Frederika Sullivan, Wright Lab
National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship
Congratulations to all of our graduate researchers in the Vollum/OHSU Neuroscience Graduate Program who received ARCS Foundation Scholar Awards from the ARCS Oregon Chapter!
First Year: Milana Krush and Jed Syrenne
Second Year: Teva Bracha and Kim Engeln
Third Year: Sweta Adhikary, Amelia Culp, Makayla Freitas and Sierra Smith
Learn more about these scholars and the ARCS Foundation Oregon
Congratulations to the Neuroscience Graduate Program researchers — Ali Pincus, Prashant Rao and Petra Richer — who received 2020 N.L. Tartar Trust Fellowships. The $2,000 grants are awarded annually by the OHSU School of Medicine as a means to support research endeavors and career development. Keep up the great work!