- Department
- Email Address
- [email protected]
- Research Areas
- Research Keywords
- Research Description
The Ryan Lab strives to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, develop new tools for collaborative investigation into the mechanisms underlying neurological disorders and train scientists in the areas of molecular neuroscience and stem cell biology.
- Research Summary
While animal models have lead to huge advancements in our understanding of neurobiology, there is controversy over whether overexpression/silencing of gene expression is representative of diverse disease states. Indeed, the lack of availability of primary human neurons has made evaluating the pathological consequences of genomic mutations arduous. The use of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology overcomes these limitations by providing a source of human neurons from both normal and disease genetic backgrounds. We currently focus on stem cell based models of Parkinson's Disease (PD) to study how mitochondrial stress mechanisms impact on neuronal function in human disease.
- Techniques Used
Molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, hiPSC, animal models.
- Lab Equipment
Cryostat, plate reader, OD/Fluorescence/Luminescence, animal dissection suite.
- Locations of international collaborators
USA, Greece.
- Links