Deborah Kurrasch, Ph.D

Our current research program can be broadly divided into three domains: basic, translational, and drug discovery. On the basic science side, we seek to understand how neurons organize themselves into nuclei. Although two-thirds of our brain is functionally organized into defined neuronal clusters (versus layers such as in the cortex), we know comparatively little about the cellular and molecular mechanisms that guide newborn neurons into their respective nuclei. We study this question using the hypothalamus as our model system in zebrafish, mice and human brain organoids. As we learn more about hypothalamic development, our translational program seeks to apply this knowledge to study how environmental challenges during development (e.g., maternal stress, maternal obesity, environmental toxicants) change hypothalamic cytoarchitecture, leading to diseases later in life. Through this work, we have uncovered a role for microglia in shaping hypothalamic development, and now study the involvement of the maternal microbiome. Finally, we developed a neurometabolic drug screening platform to uncover novel anti-seizure drugs for the treatment of refractory epilepsy. We are now pivoting this platform to models of autism and other rare diseases for which no therapeutic options exist.