Lab News and Photos

Celebrating our latest achievement!

Dr. Telkes and her team has received the Arizona Biomedical Research Centre (ABRC) New Investigator Award – a $225K, 3-year grant to advance groundbreaking work in chronic pain assessment for older adults with Alzheimer’s Disease!

Telkes Lab at NANS 2025: Another Successful Year!

We had a fantastic time at the NANS 2025 Annual Meeting, sharing our latest research and connecting with colleagues.

– We presented our recent study on the utility of predictive machine learning models trained with EEG features in spinal cord stimulation at the Ultrasound for Neuromodulation session.

– We showcased our study on the use of cluster analysis to understand chronic pain patients based on their EEG signatures before spinal cord stimulation surgery.

– Ayden Dunn (Class of 2027, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University) received one of the NANS 2025 Early Career Travel Fellowship Grants. Proud to mentor the next generation of neuromodulation researchers!

– After receiving the NANS Kumar Young Investigator Award in 2023, I am honored to be recognized this year with the NANS 2025 Rising Star Early Career Award. Humbled and grateful for this recognition!

Beyond the science, I had the opportunity to connect with colleagues, collaborators, mentors, and trainees, engaging in inspiring discussions that will shape the future of neuromodulation.

Looking forward to another productive and exciting year ahead! See you all at NANS 2026 in Vegas!

Congratulations to the Telkes Lab on Securing a Prestigious Grant!

I am thrilled to share that the Telkes lab has been awarded a significant grant for research at the intersection of chronic pain, spinal cord stimulation, and wearable technology. This project, funded by the University of Arizona FY25 Eighteenth Mile TRIF, has secured $199,060. Thrilled to push the boundaries of innovation in this vital research area!

Exciting News Alert!

We’re thrilled to announce that our lab has officially relocated to the University of Arizona College of Medicine -Tucson!

Stay tuned for updates on our latest projects and adventures as we continue to make waves in the world of science and beyond. The future is bright, and we can’t wait to share it with you!

NANS Annual Meeting 2024

We had a very successful NANS24 conference this year. TelkesLab presented 4 oral abstracts in chronic pain biomarkers and machine learning topics. Kudos to students Tomas Swickley, Stacey Tevelev, Jay Gopal, Krishna Sandeep Kumar Vanga, and Harshal Sanghvi, Ph.D. Many thanks to Julie Pilitsis, Marisa Valletta, our collaborators, organizers, and abstract reviewers. See you all next year at NANS25!

ASRA President’s Choice abstract

Our study below was selected a highlighted President’s Choice abstract at the 22^nd Annual Meeting of American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA) and Pain Medicine.

Deepak Berwal, Alejandra Quintero, Ilknur Telkes, Marisa DiMarzio, Tessa Harland, Steven Paniccioli, Yohannes Iyassu, John Dalfino, Bryan McLaughlin, Julie Pilitsis. A Prospective Evaluation of Selectivity in a High-Resolution Spinal Cord Stimulation Paddle (Abstract 4928). ASRA and Pain Medicine, November 10-11, 2023, New Orleans, LA.

Investigation of brain signals for better understanding chronic pain in adults with Alzheimer’s disease

Congratulations to the research team of the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) project! We welcomed our first participant today and recorded our first multi-modality data. Chronic pain remains mostly untreated in those with AD, mainly due to their limited capacity to report pain verbally. Our goal is to use wearable EEG with eye tracking and facilitate development of objective tools that can be used for chronic pain assessment and improve the quality of life of people with AD.

Fall 2023 FAU Neuroscience Seminar Series

I had the privilege of hosting Dr. Nuri Ince, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic Rochester, as a guest speaker at the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute Neuroscience Seminar Series. Dr. Ince talked about identification of neurobiomarkers for the optimization of Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s disease.

Presenting at CNS Annual Meeting

Jay Gopal, an affiliate at Telkes lab, presented his study entitled “Comparison of Intraoperative Neural Changes during Tonic vs. High-Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation in Chronic Pain Patients” at the 2023 Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C. This work brings us closer to a fundamental understanding of chronic pain and how spinal cord stimulation modulates the brain.

2023 Top Pain Paper of the Year Award

Our paper entitled “High-Resolution Spinal Motor Mapping Using Thoracic Spinal Cord Stimulation in Patients with Chronic Pain” was selected as the 2023 Top Pain Paper of the Year by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). I had the honor of presenting this work at the 2023 CNS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2023, during the Section on Pain Session.

Winning the COECS/I-SENSE Seed Funding Competition

Our proposal, titled “Feasibility of Objective Pain Assessment Using Multimodal Sensing Signals in Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease,” was selected for FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science and I-SENSE Joint Seed Funding. Chronic pain often goes untreated due to the lack of precise measures—relying only on self-reported assessments. With this study, we aim to investigate functional use of multi-modality signals for measuring pain in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

FAU Health Network features our PD research

“Did you know that Parkinson’s affects 1 in 500 people? It’s time to rewrite the narrative of Parkinson’s disease! At FAU Health Network, we’re on a mission to find a cure. Meet Dr. Ilknur Telkes, the brilliant engineer-scientist at FAU College of Medicine, who is leading groundbreaking research in Parkinson’s disease and deep brain stimulation. Her dedication and innovative work aim to optimize treatment strategies and pave the way for personalized tremor treatments. Let’s give a shout-out to amazing researchers like Dr. Telkes who are shaping the future of Parkinson’s care!”

Telkes lab opens its doors

Telkes Lab is opening its doors officially today. We are so excited to welcome our new lab members and grow together while developing new technologies to improve patients’ life.

Dr. Telkes featured on MASTERMINDS Magazine

The FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute (SNBI) MASTERMINDS Magazine featured Dr. Telkes and her ongoing research in chronic pain field in its recent edition.

Presenting at AANS Annual Meeting

Shelby Sabourin, an affiliate at Telkes lab, presented the team’s poster entitled “Spatial Mapping in Basal Ganglia using Phase-Amplitude Coupling” at the 2023 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Meeting, Los Angeles.

Dr. Telkes featured on The NeuroCareers Podcast Series

Dr. Telkes joined the NeuroCareers Podcast Series as the guest of Dr. Milena Korostenskaja, Institute of Neuroapproaches and talked about the cutting-edge field of neuromodulation and neuroengineering for chronic pain treatment.

Invitation to Judge at the M.D. Research and Scholarship Day

Dr. Telkes served as a Judge at the FAU Schmidt College of Medicine Medical Student Research and Scholarship Day. The annual Medical Student Research and Scholarship Day is an opportunity for the FAU Schmidt College of Medicine community to learn about the research and scholarly projects conducted by medical students.

Attending the FAU Teaching Academy Faculty Development Program

Dr. Telkes attended the sessions of “Improving Inclusive Teaching and Assessing, Diagnosing” and “Teaching Struggling Learners” organized by FAU COM Teaching Academy.

FAU Biomedical Research & Technology Developments Workshop

Dr. Telkes served on the organizing committee of the “FAU Biomedical Research and Technology Developments Workshop.” The workshop was a day of exploration, learning, and collaboration for our community! Our FAU experts from the Schmidt College of Medicine and College of Engineering and Computer Science provided an opportunity to closely discuss biomedical and technology research breaking points during the roundtable sessions.

Talking at NANS 2023 Brain Session-3

Dr. Telkes presented the abstract entitled “Identification of Resting-State EEG Markers in Patients with Chronic Pain Before Spinal Cord Stimulation Surgery” at the 26th NANS Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, NV.