Robert Underly, PhD

Robert Underly is a PhD candidate at the Medical University of South Carolina in the lab of Andy Shih, an expert in in vivo two-photon imaging. Underly has been involved in the in vivo imaging and identification of pericytes as well as pericyte involvement in blood-brain barrier dysfunction in the context of ischemia. Under Shih’s guidance, Underly has also examined pericyte heterogeneity, location, and function, as well as methodology to better examine the functional consequences of ischemia and to monitor the spatiotemporal dynamics of matrix metalloproteinase activity in vivo. He completed his undergraduate training in psychology at Saginaw Valley State University, where he was involved in the publication of papers on traumatic brain injury and enriched environment and Alzheimer’s disease.