James Lechleiter’s research illuminates the molecular and cellular mechanisms of protection during stroke, traumatic brain injury and aging. Recent advances in his laboratory revealed how natural healing mechanisms can be activated by boosting mitochondrial energy (ATP) production in astrocytes, the major support cell in the brain. He shares patents on a confocal microscope for simultaneous imaging with visible and ultraviolet light, a multi-photon laser scanning microscope using an acoustic optical detector and he recently received an individual patent to treat cerebral trauma with purinergic agonists. He is widely recognized for his seminal work in the field of calcium-ion signaling, where he made the initial discovery of intracellular spiral Ca2+ waves. He was co-recipient of the prestigious Erwin Schrödinger Prize for Interdisciplinary Research from the Helmholtz Society in Germany, received the President’s Council Scholar Award from UTHSCSA, he was designated a Health Care Hero in Medical Research by the San Antonio Business Journal. He is the co-founder of Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals, which is exploring development of a “concussion pill” based on his lab’s research.