REPAIR Lab Logo

The REPAIR Lab

REstoring nerve Pathways through Adaptive Integration and Regeneration.

Welcome to the REPAIR Lab!

We study how behaviors and neuroplasticity interact with tissue regeneration and healing. Our main focus is to REstore damaged nerve Pathways through Adaptive Integration and tissue Regeneration.

Our bodies are closely integrated with our brains via the peripheral nervous system. Thus, accidents, surgery, or disease to our skin and organs can damage communication lines to the brain. While these lines have some ability to heal through regeneration and adapt via neuroplasticity, the process isn't perfect.

Our team is dedicated to finding ways to improve regeneration and to better understand how the brain adapts during recovery. In the long-term, our goal is to develop methods that enable fully integrated and functional healing, helping to advance regenerative medicine and rehabilitative therapies for better patient outcomes. In the short-term, we're working to establish a basic understanding of the relationship between regenerated peripheral tissue and the brain, and inspiring the next generation of scientific thinkers.

Lab Banner Image

Tissue regeneration is an emergent property of a dynamical system, coacting with our biology and environment.

Read more from a recent publication

Research Themes

🧠 Behavior-Regeneration Interplay

How injury affects behavior, and how behavior shapes recovery.

📈 Regenerative History of Behavior

Tracing the entire behavioral profile post-injury to define recovery.

⏳ Critical Periods

When is the system most plastic during healing, and how can we leverage that?

Models we use

Summary of Findings

Our Team

Dr. Justin Varholick

Justin Varholick, PhD

Principal Investigator

Dr. Varholick (Dr. V) holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science/Applied Ethology from the University of Bern in Switzerland and an M.A. in Biopsychology from UNC Greensboro. He trained in regenerative biology during his postdoc under Prof. Malcolm Maden at the University of Florida, and was supported by an Early Postdoctoral grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation and an NIH Training Grant in Regenerative Medicine. His work has contributed to understanding the phenotypic variability in tissue regeneration and establishing behavioral frameworks for studying tissue regeneration in animal models.

Placeholder image

Your Name Here

Graduate Researcher

Driven by a passion for understanding the body's ability to heal, I have a deep curiosity about how the brain responds to injury and healing. My current project focuses on understanding skin regeneration in neonatal mice, and whether their cutaneous nerves regain endoneurial sheathing and sensation after injury.

Placeholder image

Your Name Here

Undergraduate Researcher

As a young scientist, I'm captivated by the complexity of the nervous system and the incredible potential for regeneration. In the REPAIR lab, I'm learning to transform my classroom knowledge into hands-on discovery and contribute to human knowledge on regeneration.

Publications

*denotes students supervised by Dr. Varholick

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Varholick, J.A., *Kondapaneni, R., Maden, M. (2025). Spiny mice (Acomys) regenerate wounded whisker pad skin with whisker follicles, muscles, and targeted innervation. npj Regenerative Medicine

Varholick, J.A. (2025). Integrating regenerative biology with developmental psychobiology to understand behavioral recovery. Developmental Dynamics Early View.

*Kidd, B.M., Varholick, J.A., Tuyn, D.M., Kamat, P.K., Simon, Z.D., Liu, L., Meckler, M.P., Pompilus, M., Bubenik, J.L., Davenport, M.L., Carter, H.A., Grudny, M.M., Barbazuk, W.B., Doré, S., Febo, M., Candelario-Jalil, E., Maden, M., Swanson, M.S. (2024). Stroke-induced neuroplasticity in the spiny mouse, Acomys cahirinus. npj Regenerative Medicine 9, 41. doi: 10.1038/s41536-024-00386-8

Bailoo, J.D., Bergeson, S.E., Ponomarev, I., Wilms, J.O., Kisby, B.R., Cornwall, G.A., MacDonald, C.C., Lawrence, J.J., Ganapathy, V., Sivaprakasam, S., Panthagani, P., Trasti, S., Varholick, J.A., Findlater, M., Deonarine, A. (2024). A bespoke water T-maze apparatus and protocol: An optimized, reliable, and repeatable method for screening learning, memory, and executive functioning in laboratory mice. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Learning and Memory, 18. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1492327

Varholick, J.A., *Thermolice, J., *Godinez, G., *Dos Santos, V., *Kondapaneni, R., Maden, M. (2024). Older spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus) have delayed and spatially heterogeneous ear wound regeneration. Biology Open, 13 (10): bio060565. doi: 10.1242/bio.060565

Varholick, J.A., *Godinez, G., *Jenkins, A., *Mobin, S., Maden, M. (2023). Bite wounds and dominance structures in male and female African spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus): Implications for animal welfare and the generalizability of results. Animals, 14 (1), 64. doi: 10.3390/ani14010064

Gaire, J., Varholick, J.A., Rana, S., Sunshine, M.D., Ahmad, A.S., Chan, K.M., Allen, K., Doré, S., Fuller, D.D., Maden, M., Simmons, C. (2021). Spiny Mouse (Acomys): As an emerging research organism for regenerative medicine with applications beyond the skin. npj Regenerative Medicine, 6(1), 1-6. doi: 10.1038/s41536-020-00111-1

Varholick, J.A., Bailoo, J.D., *Jenkins, A., Voelkl, B., Würbel, H. (2021). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between social dominance status and common behavioral phenotypes in male laboratory mice. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Learning and Memory, 14(624036). doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.624036

Bailoo, J.D., Voelkl, B., Varholick, J.A., Novak, J., Eimear, M., Russo, M., Palme, R., Würbel, H. (2020). Effects of weaning age and housing conditions on phenotypic differences in mice. Scientific Reports, 10(11684). doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-68549-3

Maden, M., Varholick, J.A. (2020). Model systems for regeneration: the spiny mouse, Acomys cahirinus. Development, 147(dev167718). doi: 10.1242/dev.167718

Varholick, J.A., *Pontiggia, A., Murphy, E., *Daniele, V., Palme, R., Voelkl, B., Würbel, H., Bailoo, J.D. (2019). Social dominance hierarchy type and rank contribute to phenotypic variation within cages of laboratory mice. Scientific Reports, 9(13650). doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-49612-0

Bailoo, J.D., Murphy, E., Boada-Sana, M., Varholick, J.A., Hintze, S., Baussiere, C., Hahn, K.C., Gopfert, C., Palme, R., Voelkl, B., Würbel, H. (2018). Effects of cage enrichment on behavior, welfare and outcome variability in female mice. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 12, p 232. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00232

Varholick, J.A., Bailoo, J.D., Palme, R., Würbel, H. (2018). Phenotypic variability between social dominance ranks in laboratory mice. Scientific Reports, 8(6593). doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-24624-4

Bailoo, J.D., Murphy, E., Varholick, J.A., Novak, J., Palme, R., Würbel, H. (2018) Evaluation of space allowance on measures of animal welfare and outcome variation in laboratory mice. Scientific Reports, 8(713). doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-18493-6

Bailoo, J. D., Varholick, J. A., Garza, X. J., Jordan, R. L., & Hintze, S. (2016). Maternal separation followed by isolation-housing differentially affects prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response in C57BL/6 mice. Developmental Psychobiology, 58(8), 937-944. doi: 10.1002/dev.21422

Preprints

Varholick, J.A. (2024). Integrating regenerative biology with developmental psychobiology to understand behavioral recovery. OSF Preprints. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/h4rcw

Varholick, J.A., *Godinez, G., *Jenkins, A., *Mobin, S., Romeo, R.D., Corll, J., Barbazuk, W., Maden, M. (2022). Social dominance status and social stability in spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus) and its relation to ear-hole regeneration and glucocorticoids. bioRxiv, 2022.09. 13.507818. doi: 10.1101/2022.09.13.507818

News & Updates

🎉 Fall 2025

The REPAIR Lab officially opens at Kennesaw State!

📄 Spiny mouse whisker regeneration paper published!

Here, Dr. Varholick and his team at the University of Florida, demonstrated that Spiny Mice can regenerate their whisker follicles with significant targeted innervation. Link to publication

🔬 Spring 2026

Recruiting first graduate student cohort!

Join Us

Now Recruiting!

Why join us?

The REPAIR Lab fosters interdisciplinary curiosity, hands-on training, and a supportive environment for diverse scientists interested in regeneration, neurobiology, and behavior.

How to apply:

Email: jvarhol2[at]kennesaw[dot]edu

Resources & Data

This section will host future content as projects develop.

Contact Us

Justin Varholick, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biology

Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology

Kennesaw State University

📍SC 308

📞 470-578-5100

📧 jvarhol2[at]kennesaw[dot]edu

GitHub