Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program

Research in this area focuses on the development of the peripheral and central nervous systems and how intrinsic and extrinsic factors cause disease and influence human behavior.

Our neurobiological research is leading to a better understanding of diseases affecting the CNS and PNS.

Faculty

	Kenneth Campbell, PhD, Professor Cellular and molecular control of vertebrate forebrain development  [Visit Developmental Biology]
	Steven A. Crone, PhD, Assistant Professor The Crone laboratory studies how neural circuits controlling motor behaviors are affected by disease and injury. Our goal is to develop strategies targeting neural circuits capable of improving motor function and the quality of life of patients suffering from developmental defects, neurodegenerative disease or injury. [Visit the Crone Lab]
	Steve Danzer, PhD, Associate Professor My laboratory focuses on elucidating the mechanisms by which epilepsy develops, with the ultimate goal of developing novel therapies to prevent or treat the disease. We are currently conducting studies on the roles of the mTOR signaling pathway and adult generated neurons in epilepsy. [Visit the Danzer Lab]
	Brian Gebelein, PhD, Associate Professor Patterning of the nervous and digestive systems during development [Visit the Gebelein Lab]
	Christina Gross, PhD, Assistant Professor Identification and analysis of shared molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders such as Fragile X syndrome, epilepsy and autism, and their use for the development of therapeutic strategies. [Visit the Gross Lab]
	Michael P. Jankowski, PhD, Assistant Professor Our lab is interested in the molecular mechanisms of sensory neuron plasticity after peripheral injuries and focuses on peripheral mechanisms of ischemic myalgia, and the developmental sensitization of sensory afferents. Using a multidisciplinary experimental approach, our studies will hopefully lead to the development of new treatments for chronic pediatric pain. [Visit the Jankowski Lab]
	Qing Richard Lu, PhD, Professor Transcriptional and epigenetic control of glial development and brain tumor initiation [Visit the Lu Lab]
	Louis Muglia, MD, PhD, Professor Genetic and developmental mechanisms controlling the timing of birth and risk of preterm birth; molecular genetic analysis of the behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to stress. [Visit the Muglia Lab]
	Masato Nakafuku, MD, PhD, Professor Molecular control of neural stem cells in development and regeneration of mammalian central nervous system [Visit the Nakafuku Lab]
	Dao Pan, PhD, Associate Professor Combining translational and basic research on virus-mediated, in vivo and ex vivo, gene transfer into stem cells or hepatocytes, as well as their potential application for gene therapy of patients with inherited or acquired diseases. [Visit the Pan Lab]
	Nancy Ratner, PhD, Professor The Ratner lab studies how nerve development is subverted in cancer.  We aim to identify targets for therapy in the inherited cancer predisposition syndromes neurofibromatosis type 1 and type 2. [Visit the Ratner Lab]
	Charles Vorhees, PhD, Professor Prenatal origins of neurocognitive and behavioral disorders: How developmental exposure to drugs, environmental agents, chronic stress, and genetic alterations adversely affect brain development and behavior. [Visit the Vorhees Williams Lab]
	Ronald R. Waclaw, MS, PhD, Assistant Professor Development of forebrain progenitor cells that contribute to the postnatal “neurogenic” niche in the subventricular zone [Visit Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology]
	Michael Williams, PhD, Associate Professor Interaction of stress-induced hormones and drugs of abuse on adult learning and memory abilities; physiological responses to later stressors; behavioral and physiological consequences of drug reexposure. [Visit the Vorhees Williams Lab]
	Kimberly Yolton, PhD, Associate Professor Exposures and experiences that may divert infants or children off the typical trajectory of development [Visit the Yolton Lab]