Dr. Kyla Nichols
Effects of bacterial metabolite-derived neurotransmitters on visceral pain
Up to 25% of the population experiences visceral pain at any one time, but the underlying mechanisms of this pain remain poorly understood. Kyla’s work aims to investigate the connection of neurotransmitter signaling, specifically gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), to visceral nociception (feeling of pain) within the gut. The project includes developing a neural microphysiological system to model the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
Kyla joined ABNEL in the Fall of 2019 as a Chemical Engineering PhD student. Prior to starting graduate school at Northeastern University, Kyla was working at GE Healthcare Life Sciences in the Upstream Product Management and Operations Department. Kyla completed her BS in Biomedical engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) the spring of 2017. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in an NSF funded Research Experience for Undergraduates at Syracuse University’s Biomaterials Institute. Her project studied astrocyte motility on tunable hydrogels which sparked her interest in neuroengineering.
B.S. Biomedical Engineering
Worcester Polytechnic Institute ’17
Worcester, MA
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering
Northeastern University ’24
Boston, MA
Dr. Kyla Nichols Earns her PhD
Congratulations to Dr. Kyla Nichols for successfully defending her thesis. Kyla joined ABNEL back in the Fall of 2019, and she began her lab work just as the pandemic hit. However, despite this set back, she fully utilized her time in lab, investigating both the...
Dr. Koppes Invited to Give Keynote at 7th TERMIS World Congress
The Principal Investigator of ABNEL, Dr. Abigail Koppes, will be presenting a keynote during this year's TERMIS World Congress. TERMIS is the "Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society". As the name suggests, researchers from around the globe...