Muneer, Mohammed A.

Positions

Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering , College of Engineering and Computing

mmuneer@fiu.edu

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammed-abdul-muneer-msc-phd-64156817/

biography

Dr. Mohammed Abdul Muneer is an Associate Professor with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and extensive experience in translational neuroscience, focusing on neuroimmunology of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and alcohol-induced neurovascular dysfunction. His research explores the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and blood-brain barrier disruption in TBI and alcohol use disorder. Dr. Muneer’s research has been published in more than 50 high-impact peer-reviewed journals, including The Journal of Neuroscience, Molecular Neurodegeneration, Brain Behavior and Immunity, eNeuro, etc. His work is supported by multiple extramural grants, notably: an NIH R01 grant ($2.21M; awarded in 2024), an NIH R21 grant ($470,000; awarded in 2023), and three grants from the New Jersey Department of Health (in 2016, 2018, and 2019). He has mentored several postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students, and trainees at various academic levels, and advised seven master’s theses. Dr. Muneer serves on grant review panels for the NIH, Department of Defense (DoD), and national funding agencies of Israel and Poland. He is an active peer reviewer for more than 20 scientific journals and has evaluated Ph.D. theses for various universities. In addition, he holds roles as a Research Council Member and Advisory Board Member at multiple academic institutions, and he has served as an IACUC committee member for 9 years. has served as an IACUC committee member for 9 years. He is also an Editorial Board member in different journals such as the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, Antioxidants, Frontiers in Genetics, Trauma Cases and Reviews, JSM Brain Science, and Topical Advisory Panel in ‘Antioxidants’.

research interests

Muneer lab focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying axonal regeneration, neuronal repair, and survival following traumatic brain injury (TBI), aiming to develop effective therapeutic strategies for neurological recovery. His research explores signaling pathways that limit neuronal regeneration in central nervous system (CNS) injury. Using in vivo fluid percussion and in vitro stretch injury models, the lab employs advanced approaches including viral vector-mediated gene transfer, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, conditional knockout models, pharmacological blockade of repulsive signaling, survival animal surgeries, and behavioral assessments in rodents. Additionally, Dr. Muneer investigates blood-brain barrier disruption and its role in neurovascular inflammation and neurological disorders such as stroke linked to alcohol use disorder. His current work tests the hypothesis that activation of the antioxidant Nrf2 pathway can repair alcohol-induced cerebral vascular injury, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration.