Lina R. Nih

Assistant Professor of Brain Health
Expertise: Stroke, Brain injury, Brain regeneration, Stem cell transplantation, Cerebral ischemia, Nanotechnology, Biomaterials, Brain-material interface

Biography

Lina R. Nih is an assistant professor in UNLV’s Department of Brain Health, and the director of the Regen-Brain Laboratory (RBL) for Innovative Nanotechnologies and Stroke Recovery. Nih is an expert on brain repair and engineering concepts to develop materials specifically designed to promote, inhibit, remodel, or correct the formation of blood vessels in the injured brain.

A neuroscientist and vascular biologist with extensive training in biomedical engineering materials science and stem cell transplantation for brain repair, Nih's scientific career has been driven by the ultimate goal of addressing one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine: "Can the brain regenerate after injury?"

Her research focuses on identifying the role that vessels play in the activation of neuroplasticity mechanisms such as neurogenesis, axonal sprouting, neuronal circuits, and synaptic connectivity; deciphering the role of immune system changes in the development of new blood vessels after stroke; and developing innovative and cutting-edge nanotechnologies for stroke treatment. Her work has pioneered the development of therapeutic biomaterials, drug delivery systems, and hydrogel-assisted stem cell therapies for brain tissue revascularization and regeneration.

Prior to joining UNLV’s Department of Brain Health in September 2024, Nih completed her postdoctoral training at UCLA with a joint appointment at the David School of Medicine, Neurology Department, and the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department.

Nih's research has been published in notable neuroscience and materials journals including Nature Materials, Biomaterials, Advanced Healthcare Materials, Nano Research, Development, and Journal of Clinical Investigation. She has earned multiple awards for her research, including the American Chemical Society Award in Biomaterials Science & Engineering, Excellence Research Award from the French Pharmacology and Therapeutics Society, and the Young Researcher Award from the Brain Vascular Diseases Society.

Education

  • Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of Paris V
  • M.S., Vascular Biology, University of Paris V
  • B.S., Life Sciences, University Cergy-Pontoise, France

Search For Other Experts On

health & medicine, science & technology

Articles Featuring Lina R. Nih

artistic rendering of brain
Research | December 16, 2024

UNLV Brain Health researcher Lina Nih is developing a treatment that could one day alter how practitioners address stroke recovery.