Using Stem Cells to Explore the Genetics Underlying Brain Disease

The Brennand Lab's research combines expertise in human stem cell models, genomic engineering, and neuroscience to identify the mechanisms that underlie brain development, traits, and disease. Understanding the basic biology governing the complex interplay between genetic variants and the environment will springboard the development of novel, personalized approaches to improve health and prevent disease. The learning objectives for this session are for participants to understand:

1. How somatic cells can be reprogrammed to human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and subsequently differentiation to neurons and glia, to yield disease-risk in a dish models that recapitulate molecular and cellular phenotypes associated with brain disorders. The audience should take home appreciation of the strengths and drawbacks of applying stem-cell based disease modelling to brain disorders.
2. That brain disorders are genetically complex, with genetic studies frequently identifying hundreds of risk variants, although target genes, pathways, and cell types frequently remain unclear. Knowledge of how the integration of stem cell-models with CRISPR-based engineering can facilitate isogenic comparisons of the impact of risk loci prioritized by genetic studies.
3. The basic biology governing the complex interplay between genetic variants and the environment will springboard the development of novel, personalized approaches to improve health and prevent disease.

This will be a hybrid session, held live and in person from the Cohen Auditorium and simulcast via Zoom.

The 2023-2024 YCSC Grand Rounds series has been approved for eligibility for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. Yale School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Individual event designation details are provided at applicable live events.