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Onder Albayram PhD

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(843) 876-2217

albayram@musc.edu

68 President Street, Bioengineering Building, Charleston, SC 29403 Room Office: BEB414 Laboratory: BEB431

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Rank
  • Associate Professor
College
  • College of Medicine
Department
  • Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Academic Focus
  • Neuroimmune–Cerebrovascular Integration in Brain Injury
  • Meningeal Lymphatic–Cervical Drainage Axis
Faculty email addresses should not be used to seek medical advice or to make medical appointments. Please visit MyChart for medical appointments or to contact your provider.

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Biography

Dr. Albayram is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory, and Department of Neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina. He earned his M.S. in Neuropharmacology from the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and completed his Ph.D. in Neurobiology at the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn in Germany. He subsequently pursued faculty-level training in translational neuroscience at Harvard Medical School.

 

1. Neuroimmune–Cerebrovascular Integration in Brain Injury

Neuroimmune and Cerebrovascular Integration in Brain Injury and Synaptic Plasticity Across the Lifespan: Our research program is centered on defining how neuroimmune signaling and cerebrovascular dynamics converge to shape synaptic integrity and circuit function following brain injury. We investigate traumatic brain injury and related disorders across both the developing and adult brain, leveraging the unique window of synaptic plasticity that governs long-term neural resilience or vulnerability. By integrating mechanistic studies of immune–synaptic interactions with vascular regulation, our work examines how maladaptive neuroimmune responses disrupt synaptic refinement, microvascular integrity, and functional recovery. Using complementary in vivo, in vitro, and human-relevant platforms, we dissect how injury engages distinct yet interconnected pathways including complement-mediated synaptic remodeling, mitochondrial quality control programs, and endothelial metabolic reprogramming. This integrative framework enables us to identify convergent mechanisms that govern neuronal resilience, vascular repair, and circuit stability across developmental stages. By bridging synaptic, immune, and vascular biology, our work aims to define actionable targets that preserve neurovascular function and support recovery trajectories after brain injury.

 

2. Meningeal Lymphatic–Cervical Drainage Axis

Meningeal Lymphatic and Deep Cervical Lymph Node Integration in Brain Clearance and Immune Regulation: Our laboratory investigates the structural and functional integration of the meningeal lymphatic system with deep cervical lymph nodes as a central axis governing brain clearance and immune surveillance in both health and disease. We focus on how this interface operates in the intact human brain, combining advanced imaging modalities with high-resolution molecular and biochemical approaches to define lymphatic architecture, drainage pathways, and immune positioning at the brain’s borders. Through a uniquely human-centered framework, we integrate intact tissue imaging, spatial proteomics, and quantitative anatomical mapping to resolve how meningeal lymphatic networks interact with vascular and perivascular compartments. This approach allows us to identify how lymphatic organization supports physiological homeostasis and how its disruption contributes to impaired clearance and altered immune dynamics. By establishing a multidimensional view of lymphatic–vascular–immune coupling, our work seeks to define this system as a critical regulatory interface and to uncover new opportunities for modulating brain clearance and immune function.

 

Selected Publications