The Kavli Institute for Neuroscience granted three Innovative Research Awards to interdisciplinary research teams at the Yale School of Medicine. Each team brings together two or more faculty members to tackle fundamental problems in neuroscience.
Two of the awards will fund research into the neurobiology of autism spectrum disorder. One team will investigate the relationship between autism risk genes and the function of neural circuits in zebrafish. A second team will study the role of a leading autism risk gene in cortical development by analyzing gene expression at the single-cell level in mice. A third award will support the development of new tools and methods to identify the genes responsible for synapses formation and maintenance in human neurons.
Innovative Research Awards are designed to support early-stage, collaborative and innovative brain research projects related to the Kavli Institute's goals. They catalyze teamwork among small groups of investigators to test bold new ideas and overcome experimental challenges in neuroscience.
2017 Award Recipients:
Sreeganga Chandra, Neurology / Neuroscience
In-Hyun Park, Genetics / Yale Stem Cell Center
Development of Synaptic and Activity Reporters For Human Neurons
Ellen Hoffman, Child Study Center
Michael Higley, Neuroscience
Illumination of Neural Circuit Deficits Resulting from Loss of hcASD Risk Genes and Identification of Pharmacological Treatments
James Noonan, Genetics
Smita Krishnaswamy, Genetics / Computer Science
Mapping Autism Regulatory Networks at Single-Cell Resolution in the Developing Cortex