Congratulations to Dr. Kaiah Fields on her recent poster award certificate for "Outstanding Poster Presentation" Her poster was titled "Genetic and Pharmacologic Targeting of Eya3 in Macrophages Drives Anti-Tumor Immunity in Triple Negative Breast Cancer".

Synapses are what protect our memories. 🧠 Matt Kennedy, PhD, & his lab use cutting-edge probes to visualize living neurons in real time to understand how brain connections form. Learn how the Kennedy Lab is working to better the lives of patients with brain disease at bit.ly/3RUM125

Much like players on a field, proteins must work together to execute their game plan. 🧬 Chandra Tucker, PhD, & her lab engineer light-controlled tools to study and disrupt abnormal protein clumping seen in cancer, Alzheimer's, & Huntington's. Learn more: bit.ly/49qy9Th

Can a single brain protein hold the key to repairing memories? 🧠 Ulli Bayer, PhD, & his lab study how a vital brain protein called CaMKII may hold the answers to repairing memories. Watch the full video at bit.ly/3PS7aJz.

Synapses in the brain allow us to learn & remember. 🧠 Mark Dell'Acqua, PhD, and his lab are mapping the intricate signaling complexes within brain connections to discover novel ways to restore synaptic health in neurodevelopmental diseases. Learn more at bit.ly/4u6TxnY

Debosmita Sardar, PhD, and her lab are working to decode the complex cellular language between glial cells and neurons, with the aim of improving treatments for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Learn more at bit.ly/4uOyFms.

Does RNA have the power to repair DNA? 🧬 Learn more about the research of Alessandra Brambati, PhD, at bit.ly/4e6XAMh.

Congratulations to Kate Matlin (H Ford Lab) for receiving the 2026-2027 ARCS Scholar Award!

By using innovative, patient-derived organoid models to replicate human organs in the lab, Dr. Mike Oliphant and his team aim to develop targeted therapies that strip cancer cells of their resilience. Learn more about this groundbreaking research in breast cancer at bit.ly/4u5IFa6. 🎗️🩷

How can a simple scent unlock a core memory? 💡 Memory formation is one of the brain's most fascinating processes. At the O'Hare Lab, Justin O'Hare, PhD, is leading groundbreaking research to map this exact phenomenon. Learn more at bit.ly/4um8gM9.

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Dr. Heide Ford’s lab is studying how cancer cells reactivate dormant programs to spread. If we can block this cellular adaptability, we may be able to stop metastasis from occurring. 🧬 Learn more at https://bit.ly/49tBukB

One of the most frustrating challenges in oncology is why some cancer cells succumb to chemotherapy while others actively resist it. Jim Costello, PhD, and his lab are tackling this mystery head-on. Watch the full video at bit.ly/4tN2HWo.

Dopamine plays a vital role in how we move, learn and feel, but what happens when it goes wrong? Chris Ford, PhD, and his lab are researching the root causes of dopamine dysfunction to improve targeted treatments. Watch the full video at bit.ly/4fAaJi0.

Alessandra Brambati, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology, has been inducted into the 2026 Class of Boettcher Investigators! A $250,000 grant will fund up to three years of scientific research, for her project, "Regulation of microhomology-mediated end-joining during cell division." 🎉

How does the brain’s "inhibitory brake" prevent neurological disorders, and what happens when it fails? 🧠 Learn more about the research of Katharine Smith, PhD, at bit.ly/42NVieE. @cumedicalschool.bsky.social

How does a single extra chromosome profoundly shape the health, development and well-being of individuals with Down syndrome? Learn more about the work of Joaquin Espinosa, PhD, at bit.ly/3PkOnqh.

Welcome to the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine: Where discovery begins. 🧪✨ @cumedicalschool.bsky.social | @cuanschutz.bsky.social

Happy Administrative Professionals Day to our outstanding administrative team! Our work at the Department of Pharmacology would not be possible without you. Please join us in celebrating our administrative team for their hard work and commitment to our department. 💛🖤

Congratulations to Mark Dell'Acqua, PhD, and Tom Cast, PhD, for receiving a 1 year award from the PPP3CA Hope Foundation for their project, “Generation and initial characterization of a PPP3CA E282K mouse line." We look forward to seeing what this research uncovers!

The CU Anschutz Department of Pharmacology is #Hiring a Director of Finance and Administration! This role is eligible for a hybrid schedule. Interested in taking the next step in your career? Learn more and apply today at bit.ly/4c0AO7X.

Congratulations to Mark Dell'Acqua, PhD, and Katharine Smith, PhD, for presenting talks at the 2026 NeuroWinter Summit: From Synapse to Behavior in Rusutsu, Hokkaido, Japan. We are always proud to see our faculty present their work abroad!

🎉 Congratulations to Victoria Chang and Raul Vargas, PhD candidates in the Oh Lab, for publishing an invited review in Molecules and Cells. Read "Serotonergic modulation of excitatory synapse development and plasticity," at bit.ly/4v1If6e.

This Women's History Month, the CU Anschutz Department of Pharmacology recognizes the outstanding women in our primary faculty who are making history in the field of pharmacology. Join us in celebrating their leadership, mentorship, and passion that are shaping the future of science and medicine.

🎉 Congratulations to Joaquín Espinosa, PhD, Michael W. Graner, PhD, and Zdenek Andrysik, PhD, for serving as co-authors of “Nucleoli-localized KANSL2 as an epigenetic regulator of ribosome biogenesis in glioblastoma cells,” published by Communications Biology. Learn more: bit.ly/4t9RBex.

Congratulations to Chad Camp, PhD, postdoc in the Benke Lab, for being selected as a 2026 Grass Fellow! Dr. Camp's project, "Defining subunit architecture and function of astrocytic NMDA receptors in hippocampal circuits," will be supported through this prestigious fellowship.

Last week, our department had the pleasure of hosting the fifth annual Dr. James L. Maller Memorial Seminar. Thank you to Jean Gautier, PhD, DRSc, of the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center for presenting "DNA Repair and mis-repair in 3D" at this year's seminar!

Congratulations to Amber Stewart, PhD candidate in the Smith Lab, for receiving the Department of Pharmacology Student Travel Award for attendance to the Gordon Research Conference on Synaptic Transmission in July 2026. We are always proud to support our brilliant students!

Dendritic arbors provide neuroscience with an ideal opportunity to study how individual neurons interact with their broader circuitry and are the field’s best bet to bridge cellular and systems neuroscience, writes @justinkohare.bsky.social. #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/dendrites/de...

Dendrites help neuroscientists see the forest for the trees

Dendritic arbors provide just the right scale to study how individual neurons reciprocally interact with their broader circuitry—and are our best bet to bridge cellular and systems neuroscience.

thetransmitter.org

Join the Department of Pharmacology at CU Anschutz for our exciting guest seminars in March 2026! We look forward to seeing you there. Please note that the James L. Maller Seminar on March 9 with Jean Gautier, PhD, DRSc will take place at Fulginiti Pavilion (R27) – R27-100.

Introducing the newest member of the CU Anschutz Department of Pharmacology administrative team, Jason Kwon! Our department is thrilled to have Jason on board as a senior IT professional. Join us in welcoming Jason to the team! 🎉