Approximately 1 in every 5 adults in the US will experience some form of serious mental illness in their lives. While genetic studies have identified numerous genes and loci contributing to the risk of these devastating psychiatric disorders, it remains a challenge to map their cellular mechanisms and determine the relevant tissue and cell type contexts. We are building in vivo genetic screens to allow massively parallel analyses of gene function to systematically assign their function in diverse cell types in the context of brain development and maturation.

A complex interplay of distinct factors causes brain disorder. We see this with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), where not only do numerous genes influence risk, but so do factors such as sex – ASD affects males much more frequently than females. We are working to connect the sex-differential physiology with knowledge about ASD risk genes to study the confluence of these contributing aspects.

To tackle these challenges, we are building and applying a suite of neurotechnologies including in vivo gene editing and genetic screening, single-cell multi-omics, spatial genomics, and chemical biology tools. Our unique position in joining forces of neuroscience and tool development has inspired us to connect genomic technologies with rigorous dissection of molecular mechanisms to study how these complex inputs are integrated into the developing brain.