Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Faculty Member, Neuroscience / Psychiatry

Other Affiliations: University of Calgary, Department of Biological Sciences
Harvard University, Molecular and Cellular Biology
The Salk Institute, Laboratory of Genetics

Thesis Title: Beta Cell Replication and Differentiation

About

I am using induced pluripotent stem cells to study schizophrenia and autism.

Briefly, I obtained skin samples from schizophrenic adults, autistic children and healthy controls.  I then reprogrammed these skin cells into stem cells.  I can now direct these stem cells to become neurons.  Thus, from a small skin sample, I can generate near limitless quantities of live healthy and schizophrenic and autistic neurons which I can compare in the laboratory.  I hope that by identifying differences between healthy and diseased neurons, I will soon be able to screen for new drugs with which to reverse the cellular defects present in schizophrenia and autism.