Research

Clinical and Basic Science Research at Loyola Neurosurgery

Our faculty is comprised of nationally and internationally distinguished neurosurgeons who are committed to the research mission of an academic practice. Faculty along with research collaborators study the pathological processes and develop treatments for neurological disease.

The Center for Translational Research and Education(CTRE) at the Medical School Campus and at the adjacent Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital Campus are the primary sites for basic science research in the Department of Neurosurgery. Additionally, the Center for Health Outcomes Research(CHOIR) which is part of Loyola University provides resources for clinical outcomes investigations, including a large data repository and statistical support. Loyola’s main campus provides additional collaborators from basic science. Additional collaboration has come from Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital and Illinois Institute of Technology

Neurosurgery residents spend one year dedicated to research in their PGY5 year, as well as having longitudinal projects defined from the time of program entry. Graduate students and medical students are also active in these projects

 

Douglas Anderson, MD 

Dr. Anderson is involved in both basic science and clinical outcomes studies. His personal operative log of 1300 acoustic neuroma resections is one of the largest by a single surgeon. Reviewing these outcomes has formed a significant contribution to the operative neurosurgical literature. Among his basic science interests is the work he does with the microbiology faculty to create CAR –T cell therapy for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme.

 

Anand Germanwala MD

Dr. Germanwala’s investigative interests involve clinical and basic science research in the field of skull base surgery.  Skull base reconstruction following endoscopic endonasal approaches, entry into the brain, sinuses, orbit, upper cervical spine, and infratemporal fossa via these corridors, complications and limitations through this approach, and outcomes are areas of clinical interest. Basic science interests include genetics of skull base tumors and vascular malformations, including meningiomas, hemangioblastomas, cavernous hemangiomas, and schwannomas, and identifying DNA and protein mutations to help assess pathophysiology and identify potential therapeutic targets.  Additionally, biomechanics of skull base surgery, including risks of thermal injury to neurovascular structures and changes in muscular tension following surgery, is an area of interest.

  

G. Alex Jones, MD

Dr. Jones is actively involved in several areas of research, including clinical outcomes of spine surgery, radiographic analyses of the upper cervical spine, and treatment of spinal metastases. He is collaborating with Dr. Avinash Patwardhan on several spine biomechanics studies. Dr. Jones is on the editorial board of World Neurosurgery. 

 

Russ Nockels, MD

Dr. Nockels works with neuroscience faculty in extending models of stroke and neuronal plasticity to spinal cord injury. The existing stroke model uses translational approaches to improve neural plasticity in the setting of injury such as stroke or trauma. Current investigations are in the blockade of major neurite growth inhibitory protein Nogo-A coupled with rehabilitation and then assessment of functional outcome.

 

Suguna Pappu, MD, PhD

Dr Pappu is interested in translation problems of neurosurgery using quantitative models and analysis.  She uses medical image analysis techniques to correlate image features with clinical decision making; this approach is being called radiomics. Applications are in the estimation of intracranial pressure in the setting of trauma, or to distinguish between tumor growth and necrosis after radiation therapy of intracranial lesions. Additionally she is interested in cerebrospinal fluid dynamics and the failure of this system which results in hydrocephalus. This work draws upon controls system electrical engineering models.

 

Vikram Prabhu, MD

Dr. Prabhu’s research is focused on the genetics of meningiomas. He collaborates with the basic science faculty and neuropathology departments in their studies on the molecular biology and growth kinetics of meningiomas. He is also working on fluorescent technologies to aid in the resection of brain tumors and is interested in cortical mapping integrated in the operating room to minimize the risk of neurological deficits. In addition, he is interested in the use of optical coherence tomography as a means to assess intracranial pressure effects on the retina and optic nerve. 

 

Matthew Reynolds, MD, PhD

Dr. Reynolds’s ongoing research efforts include the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients with complex cerebrovascular diseases. In particular he is examining the pathogenesis of dural arteriovenous fistulae. Additionally he is investigating the molecular mechanisms of cerebral amyloid angiopathy and how it may lead to the disruption of intracerebral autoregulation in the disease state.

 

Joseph Serrone, MD 

Dr. Serrone’s basic science interest is in the field of vascular pathology, developing predictors for aneurysm growth during surveillance for those aneurysms deemed to have a natural history more benign than any treatment option at initial assessment. In the area of outcomes analysis he is examining rates of complications and cost analysis between different cranioplasty implants.