Neural Control of Organ Degeneration and Regeneration (NeuralCODR) Training Program
Innovation with Impact
Seeded by the Paula and Rusty Walter Endowment, this two-year National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded post-doctoral training program (T32NS126115) brings together 29 regeneration biologists and neurophysiologists and 12 clinical researchers across multiple institutions with a rich history of research training, clinical modeling, and education. The training format is distinct from established physiology or molecular neuroscience training programs in several ways:
- Programs are strategically focused on the interface between regeneration/disease organ model systems and functional neuroanatomy and physiology.
- Group problem identification is driven by a collaborative group of clinician researchers.
- Catalytic mechanisms exist for cross training and expertise development between research centers.
Further, the training structure emphasizes experiences in tissue and organ engineering laboratories in parallel with education in neuromodulation, translational theory, and practice.
Research Areas
Research Areas
Neural Development and Tools
Vittorio Cristini
Ben Deneen
Carmen Dessauer
Farhaan Vahidy
Jin Wang
Yi-Lan Weng
Nervous System and Peripheral Organ Disorders
Shelly Buffington
Shu-Hsia Chen
Jeannie Chin
Florent Elefteriou
Caleb Kemere
Rose Khavari
Hui-Lin Pan
Robert Rostomily
Nicholas Tran
Sonia Villapol
Edgar T. Walters
Qi Wu
Neural Innervation and Organ Engineering
Mary C. "Cindy" Farach-Carson
John Cooke
Jane Grande-Allen
Clinical Applications/Rotations
Sean Barber
Gavin Britz
John Cooke
Rajan Gadhia
Rose Khavari
Xian Li
Eamonn Quigley
Michael Reardon
Dimitry Sayenko
Central Course
The NeuralCODR course is a centerpiece of the training program and it is offered every spring. It is a team-taught, graduate level course to promote new ideas and collaborations in the area of how the brain and peripheral organs communicate in disease. 3 speakers per class will be asked to give a brief, verbal introduction on the scope of their work without slides. This will be followed by a moderated conversation on a suggested topic with participant involvement to catalyze new research concepts and identify roadblocks to communication and progress. Student participants will be primed with literature suggested by the speakers and coached on discussion goals.
The overall goals of the course are to:
- Focus on the neural control of organ degeneration and regeneration.
- Complement research in organ regeneration, stem cell biology and tissue engineering.
- Address the knowledge gaps of how the nervous system influences organ development, disease evolution and organ degeneration.
- Have a team-taught format with a clinical perspective on development and disease, and an introduction to specific organ system regeneration approaches.
- Include diverse faculty from Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of Houston, and Houston Methodist Research Institute.
General Information:
- REGISTRATION for the Spring 2024 offering of this course is now closed. Please check back for Spring 2025.
- There is no cost to attend, but space is limited.
- This course is not part of the NeuralCODR Fellow application process. See "How to Apply" tab for more information on how to become a Fellow.
- For more information, please email us at CNR@houstonmethodist.org.
Training at a Glance
NeuralCODR Core Components
The NeuralCODR training format distinctly includes an interdisciplinary triad mentorship team. It also provides access to much needed, but rarely obtained, hands-on clinical experience, mentorship, and clinical data and materials.
Trainee Resources
Potential Training Faculty
We are currently looking for new training faculty members. All faculty throughout the Texas Medical Center are eligible and encouraged to participate if their research is in line with the scope of the program.
If you are interested in participating in this NIH-funded training program, please send your CV to Gillian Hamilton.
Eligibility and Application
Bridging the Gap
- Increased interdisciplinary training opportunities
- Increased mentorship and oversight beyond the host Principal Investigator
- Reducing the training period and emphasizing career choices early, and
- Stimulating and providing resources for postdoctoral fellows to interact with their peers.
Eligibility Requirements to be a Fellow
- United States citizen or permanent resident.
- Postdoctoral candidates throughout the Texas Medical Center are eligible and encouraged to apply if their research is in line with the scope of the program.
- Out of state candidates are also encouraged and welcome to apply.
- Candidates do not need a current affiliation with listed training faculty. If selected, their respective mentors would be evaluated and considered to serve as a training faculty.
Program Summary
- NeuralCODR postdoctoral fellows receive annual stipends based on NIH standards, reimbursement for health insurance, and a budget for conference and workshop travel.
- NeuralCODR postdoctoral fellows are appointed for two years.
Application Requirements for Fellow Candidates
- APPLICATIONS DUE JANUARY 15, 2025
- Completed application form: Click here for application.
- Specific Aims (1-page limit)
- Project concepts should be developed in consultation with your proposed mentorship team. Example projects can be found here.
- Letters of Support
- Must include two letters of support; one must be from your proposed primary NeuralCODR faculty member.
- Curriculum Vitae
- Please submit all of the above information to Gillian Hamilton, Senior Program Manager:
Bridging the Gap
Potential Projects
Neural modulation and the control of skeletal health and brain/skeletal signaling after injury
Research in the Elefteriou laboratory indicates that sympathetic input to bone cells is critical for growth and maintenance. Further, there is an evolving understanding of a network of brain-stem neurokines that promote bone remodeling and a reciprocal network of bone-derived hormones that impact brain health. This project seeks to model how motor and/or autonomic neuromodulation effects bone remodeling in the brain and bone hormone network. The Horner and Elefteriou laboratories will collaborate to measure bone marrow activation, bone signaling, and central neural signals that change due to neuromodulation in a model of spinal cord injury.
Biomimetic nanoparticles to promote neural connectivity
Defining the functional consequence of astrocyte activity upon neural networks
In parallel, astrocyte states will be manipulated, using transgenic mouse models, and similar physiological measurements will be conducted (Deneen Laboratory). Astrocytes in both models will be profiled with RNA sequencing to uncover potential mechanisms underlying astrocyte activity-induced neuronal communication. It is expected that high priority intercellular signaling pathways will be identified to translate into preclinical testing regarding restoring normative function that is dysregulated in inflammatory environments post-injury and post-disease.
Manipulation of RNA compartmentalization to facilitate regenerative responses
Top candidates will be manipulated in mouse spinal cord injury models to assess their function in promoting axon regeneration (Horner Laboratory). Data gained from this systematic analysis and functional validation will offer new opportunities for the development of effective RNA therapy and treatment strategies for spinal cord and brain injury.
Spinal neuromodulation and recovery of bladder control after injury
This project will combine advanced neuroimaging approaches, urodynamics, and non-invasive spinal neuromodulation to identify the patterns of supraspinal-spinal activation and connectivity during the initiation, maintenance, and completion of voiding (or attempt of voiding) in intact, or paralyzed due to spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, subjects and to elucidate the neuromodulatory mechanisms of spinal stimulation on bladder control. The central hypothesis is that neural activation profiles can be used to selectively target specific regions within the central nervous system using spinal neuromodulation. Thus, the spinal and supraspinal effects of transcutaneous spinal stimulation on voiding will be examined.
Modulating the gut microbiome to reduce neurodegeneration
The laboratory of Jeannie Chin. PhD is devoted to characterizing patterns of brain activity in mice and correlated neuronal activity with performance in behavioral paradigms that test different aspects of memory and cognition, especially using animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, the relationship between the microbiome and the development of cognitive impairment in dementia or the development of AD is unknown. This project will deplete the microbiome in AD animals and will restore it with the pre-AD microbiome. Specifically, the Villapol and Chin laboratories will identify the link between the modulation of the microbiome in AD mice and brain connectivity, amyloid beta accumulation, and memory impairment, with the goal of identifying novel treatments to restore cognition and behavior in neurodegenerative diseases.
Program Contact
Senior Program Manager
Center for Neuroregeneration
6670 Bertner Avenue
Houston, TX 77030
Email: ghamilton@houstonmethodist.org
Upcoming Academic Events
Grand rounds, tumor boards, regularly scheduled series and case presentations are offered in multiple clinical disciplines and Houston Methodist locations.

Center for Neuroregeneration Visiting Lecture Series - Jeffrey Min-In Yau, PhD
Houston Methodist Hospital
Jeffrey Min-In Yau, PhD
Apr 01 @ 9AM
See Details55
Grand Rounds conducted in 2023Donate to Houston Methodist
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