UNE researcher Colin Willis was awarded a grant funded by the Migraine Research Foundation

University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine's Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences Colin Willis, Ph.D., was recently awarded a grant from the Migraine Research Foundation to support his research on how the frequent use of medications for the treatment of migraine can themselves induce headache pain.

The recently funded grant was entitled: "Mechanisms of blood-brain barrier dysfunction induced medication overuse headache". Dr. Willis and colleagues propose that the changes in the integrity of the blood-brain barrier may explain the increased likelihood of medication induced headache attack. Understanding the role of the blood-brain barrier is fundamental to understanding how migraine may occur and represents a novel pharmacological target in the development of novel therapeutics.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.