When brain surgeons at the plan a tumor operation, they’re increasingly guided by more than scans and experience alone. A next-generation platform called MindTrace—developed from decades of neuroscience and neurosurgical research rooted at the —helps surgical teams predict how different surgical decisions could affect a patient’s speech, movement, and other vital functions before tissue is removed.

The technology grew out of the University’s , founded by cognitive neuroscientist Brad Mahon and neurosurgeon . Working alongside collaborators, including alumnus Max Sims, now the CEO of MindTrace, the team developed early prototypes that integrated neuroimaging and behavioral data into a single, practical tool for the operating room. The system is now deployed at six major medical centers nationwide, with the Medical Center among the first to implement it clinically.

By combining functional MRI, brain stimulation mapping, and neuropsychological testing, surgeons can visualize and replay brain-mapping data in real time, helping clinicians optimize their care decisions and patients better understand their surgeries.

Read the and the future of brain mapping at URochester.

—a pioneering neuroscientist and co-director of the Ģ����ý —has been elected a 2025 international fellow of the (NAI). The honor recognizes academic innovators whose work has led to patented technologies, translational breakthroughs, and broad societal impact. It is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors.

Nedergaard’s selection reflects more than a decade of groundbreaking research that has fundamentally reshaped basic neuroscience, reframed public discussions about sleep and brain health, and opened avenues for entirely new classes of therapies for neurological disorders.

Revealing the brain’s hidden ‘plumbing system’

In 2012, Nedergaard and colleagues first described the glymphatic system, a network of fluid channels that clears metabolic waste from the brain, primarily during deep sleep. This discovery resolved long-standing questions in neuroscience and catalyzed a new field focused on how sleep, vascular health, and cellular activity interact to protect the brain.

More recently, the group located in the membranes surrounding the brain, which carry waste from the brain to the body’s broader lymphatic system. Together, these interconnected pathways form a plumbing system in the brain now implicated in conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease to traumatic brain injury and migraines.

When a new drug or device for a brain or nerve disorder reaches patients, there’s a good chance a URochester team helped it get there. For nearly 40 years, the Ģ����ý’s (CHeT) has been a behind-the-scenes force in neurological drug discovery. That work has resulted in helping to bring 12 FDA-approved drugs and devices to market, including frontline treatments for Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and rare neuromuscular diseases.

What makes CHeT stand out is its all-in-one model. Trial coordination, clinical materials, outcomes measurement, data analytics, and regulatory support all operate in concert, allowing the center to design and run complex, multisite trials that many organizations consider too risky or too complicated.

Today, under the leadership of neurologist , CHeT is expanding that impact by pairing patient-reported outcomes with wearable sensors, smartphone apps, and decentralized study visits. The goal: to “measure what matters to patients” and make it easier for people everywhere—not just those who live near major academic medical centers—to participate in cutting-edge research.

Get the , from brain–computer interfaces to AI-powered trial modeling.

Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurological disorders can be seen as “dirty brain” diseases, where the brain struggles to clear out harmful waste. Aging is a key risk factor because, as we grow older, our brain’s ability to remove toxic buildup slows down. However, new research in mice demonstrates that it’s possible to reverse age-related effects and restore the brain’s waste-clearing process.

“This research shows that restoring cervical lymph vessel function can substantially rescue the slower removal of waste from the brain associated with age,” says , a professor of mechanical engineering at the Ģ����ý. “Moreover, this was accomplished with a drug already being used clinically, offering a potential treatment strategy.”

Kelley is one of the lead authors of the study, which appears in the journal , along with codirector the University’s . The study is one of many collaborations carried out by researchers at Rochester’s and the .

, the glymphatic system is the brain’s unique waste removal process that uses cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to wash away excess proteins generated by energy-hungry neurons and other cells in the brain during normal activity. The discovery pointed the way to potential new approaches to treat diseases commonly associated with the accumulation of protein waste in the brain, such as Alzheimer’s (beta amyloid and tau) and Parkinson’s (alpha-synuclein). In healthy and young brains, the glymphatic system does a good job of flushing away these toxic proteins; however, as we age, this system slows, setting the stage for these diseases.

A network of tiny pumps draws waste from the brain

Once laden with protein waste, CSF in the skull needs to make its way to the lymphatic system and, ultimately, to the kidneys, where it is processed along with the body’s other waste. The new research combines advanced imaging and particle-tracking techniques to describe for the first time in detail the route by way of the cervical lymph vessels in the neck through which half of dirty CSF exits the brain.

In addition to measuring the flow of CSF, the researcher team—including study first authors , Aditya Raghunandan, and Humberto Mestre—were able observe and record the pulsing of lymph vessels in the neck that helps draw CSF out of the brain. “Unlike the cardiovascular system, which has one big pump—the heart—fluid in the lymphatic system is instead transported by a network of tiny pumps,” says Kelley. These microscopic pumps, called lymphangions, have valves to prevent backflow and are strung together, one after another, to form lymph vessels.

The researchers found that as the mice aged, the frequency of contractions decreased, and the valves failed. As a result, the speed of dirty CSF flowing out of the brains of older mice was 63 percent slower compared to younger animals.

Known drug restarts flow of brain-cleaning fluids

The team then set out to see if they could revive the lymphangions and identified a drug called prostaglandin F2α, a hormone-like compound commonly used medically to induce labor and known to aid smooth muscle contraction. The lymphangions are lined with smooth muscle cells, and when the researchers applied the drug to the cervical lymph vessels in older mice, the frequency of contractions and the flow of dirty CSF from the brain both increased, returning to a level of efficiency found in younger mice.

“These vessels are conveniently located near the surface of the skin. We know they are important, and we now know how to accelerate function,” says Kelley.  “One can see how this approach, perhaps combined with other interventions, could be the basis for future therapies for these diseases.”

’s road to a scientific career began in Uganda’s Kibale National Park, home to one of the planet’s most diverse populations of primates and the filming location for the 2012 Disney nature documentary Chimpanzee and the 2023 Netflix series Chimp Empire. Learning to embrace scientific complexity while finding a community that values collaborative research has fueled Sobolewski’s drive to discover how the world around us impacts body and mind.

Starting her lab at the Ģ����ý in 2018, she is now an assistant professor of environmental medicine and of neuroscience as well as a member of the University’s and the . The explores how the environment, including exposure to chemicals and other variables like stress, influences brain development and behavior. Studying how the environment influences molecular targets like hormones, epigenetic profiles, and neurotransmitter balance helps us better understand the environment’s role in conditions like ADHD and autism, ultimately improving risk assessment and protecting public health.

How did you get into this line of research?

Sobolewski: My scientific career began with a deep passion for understanding behavior, particularly through working with and training animals. Growing up with German Shepherds fueled my fascination with learning and the impact of social behavior on human actions. Much of our behavioral repertoire is shaped by early learning and social experiences.

During my PhD at the University of Michigan, I aimed to understand human social behavior by studying our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. Primatology offers valuable insights and a window into complex human behaviors. While conducting fieldwork in Uganda, I closely observed chimpanzees documenting their lives. My research explored the relationship between social behaviors and cortisol, a stress hormone. Understanding the complex interplay between hormones and behavior led me to study these systems in more controlled laboratory environments. Living in the beautiful Kibale National Park left me in awe of nature and concerned about human impacts, including chemical pollutants. This led me to the field of behavioral neurotoxicology.

What has your research taught you so far?

Sobolewski: The research I conduct in the lab today focuses on understanding how environmental pollutants and stressors interact. When I first entered toxicology, I focused on how metals like lead impact children’s behavior. Through animal studies, we’ve found that combining exposure to pollutants like lead, methyl mercury, and arsenic with prenatal stress increases toxicity and results in worse behavioral outcomes. These effects often vary by sex. Despite NIH mandates from 15 years ago to include sex as a biological variable, most research in neuroscience, toxicology, and pharmacology still uses only male rodents. The exclusion of females from basic research has also limited our understanding of pregnancy as a unique critical window for how chemical exposures impact maternal health.

Our work expands on this idea that combining exposures can worsen behavioral outcomes by investigating the effects of mixtures of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and modeling exposures to air pollution, which itself is a complex mixture of gases and particles. What my research has taught me so far is that we must embrace the complexity and that scientific discovery lies in our ability to better model the environment at all biological scales. We think that cumulative environmental exposures, or “death by a thousand cuts,” may increase risk for neurobehavioral disorders.

What’s your favorite thing about working here?

Sobolewski: One of the strengths of Rochester is the strong collaborative environment. Whether it’s the air pollution research we conduct with , , Uschi Graham, and Isaac Harris or our partnership with and examining pregnancy as a critical window for endocrine-disrupting chemicals, collaboration allows us to integrate our expertise. Through integration, we develop a clear, detailed picture that helps us translate what we’re seeing in the laboratory to humans. One of the things I love the most about Rochester is that we have a community centered on valuing collaborative research.

The Ģ����ý also has a world-renowned animal behavior phenotyping core facility with resources and expertise needed to translate our behavioral studies from rodents to primates to humans and back. This capability allows us to model the complexity of the human environment and its influence on behavioral variability. In addition, our is home to one of the few whole-body inhalation facilities that allows us to model complex, real-world exposures to ultrafine particulate matter and to conduct focused studies on the health effects of inhaled metals.

When you aren’t in your office or lab, where can we find you?

Sobolewski: One of the most amazing aspects about living in Rochester is that you get the benefits of being in a city environment with amenities like the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Memorial Art Gallery, the Rochester Museum and Science Center, the Fringe Festival, and the Lilac Festival. At the same time, 15 minutes away you can be kayaking on Lake Ontario or a little bit further and you can enjoy some of the most beautiful hikes in the Finger Lakes or Adirondacks.

A new report by the reveals that the Ģ����ý has more than doubled its impact on the region’s economy in the last 14 years.

The analysis, based on 2019 information, also shows that the University is the largest private employer based in upstate New York and the seventh largest private employer in the state.

“The growth in the University’s scientific, education, and health care missions, fueled by public support and philanthropy, generates a significant impact on the region’s economy in the form of innovation, entrepreneurship, and employment,” said Sarah Mangelsdorf, president of the URochester. “At the same time, we recognize that the University has a broader responsibility to improve the lives and health of our community members and to work with community partners to revitalize the City of Rochester and build bridges to economic opportunity.”

Latest in a series to assess the University’s economic impact

The report is the eighth in a series of biennial assessments by CGR of the employment and payroll, capital expenditures, purchasing, student and visitor spending, and tax impact of the URochester, UR Medicine, and its affiliates.

affiliates include Highland Hospital, F.F. Thompson, Noyes Health, St. James Hospital, and Jones Memorial Hospital, and many of those institutions are the largest employers in their respective communities.

The CGR analysis finds that the job impact of the University—both in terms of direct employment and spillover effect—has more than doubled since CGR started compiling the reports in 2006 and sustains a total of nearly 68,000 jobs in the New York State economy.

Other findings in the CGR report include:

• In 2019, the University had 32,408 employees (28,261 full-time equivalents), a growth of 5 percent since 2017;
• The University paid $2.2 billion in wages in 2019, and was responsible for $4.7 billion in direct and spillover income;
• Over the last five years, the University has averaged about $324 million annually in capital investment spending, providing steady employment to the region’s construction industry;
• Spending and employment contributed $300 million in sales, income, and property taxes in 2019;
• The University attracts an average of $425 million in external research funding per year;
• The University purchased goods and services totaling approximately $1.3 billion in 2019.

Economic impact of new initiatives

The report also assesses the impact of several new University initiatives.

The University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics has proposed building a next-generation laser user facility dedicated to the study of ultrahigh intensity laser-matter interactions. CGR estimates the $145 million project, called EP-OPAL, will create 250 to 270 new jobs and increase annual research funding by $10 to $12 million.

A new $227 million UR Medicine Ambulatory Orthopedics & Physical Performance Center at Marketplace Mall, the largest off-campus capital project in the University’s history, will create almost 1,000 construction jobs.

And the Wilmot Cancer Institute’s campaign to regain National Cancer Institute designation will not only help reduce the significant burden of cancer on our region, but also generate growth in research and clinical activities that are estimated to create 1,900 jobs.

“The University’s economic significance cannot be captured by the simple sum of jobs and payroll,” said Kent Gardner, principal and chief economist for CGR. “Through its diversity of employment opportunities—from direct patient care at Golisano Children’s Hospital through cutting-edge research at the Wilmot Cancer Center or Laboratory for Laser Energetics—the University offers a career ladder for residents and a reason for global talent to relocate to Rochester. As the center of Rochester’s cultural life, it also supports the retention of our most talented residents, a key element of community stability.”

“The Ģ����ý serves as a critical engine to drive business growth throughout the Greater Rochester, New York, region, providing world-class R&D assets and well-trained students to fuel the community’s talent pipeline,” said Matt Hurlbutt, president and CEO of Greater Rochester Enterprise. “We value the Ģ����ý’s partnership and investment in Greater Rochester Enterprise’s initiatives to foster the growth of the regional economy.”

The report includes a list compiled by CGR of the state’s largest private employers. The URochester, UR Medicine, and its affiliates were ranked the seventh largest in the state, and the largest upstate-based employer. Six of the top 10 highest ranked private employers are universities with academic medical centers or health systems.

Read more

New report details growth of Ģ����ý
The Ģ����ý has added 9,000 employees over the decade since 2006.

Understanding the University’s economic impact
More than an institution of higher education, the Ģ����ý is an economic engine for the nine-county region and beyond.

University’s economic impact expands across New York State
The Ģ����ý’s economic impact is growing both in size and in reach according to a new report.