Jiami Guo

Lab Personnel:

Colten Chipak, PhD 

Christy Catalano, Masters 

Brandon Whitmore, Masters

Vanessa Hyunh, Masters  

Research interests:

The main goal of our research is to identify fundamental principles governing the construction of neural circuits in development and disease. We are currently focused on the primary cilium, a tiny signaling antenna of a cell that coordinates cell signaling in response to environmental signals. Defective primary cilia in human lead to disease states called ciliopathies, characterized by brain malformations and intellectual deficits. To assemble a holistic view of how the primary cilium translates environmental signals to impact neural development, we take a multidisciplinary approach, using innovative techniques and ciliopathy mouse models to selectively interrogate primary ciliary signaling in defined brain developmental contexts. Our work will help uncover the primary cilia-driven, undefined cell biological mechanisms fundamental for neural circuit construction and malformation.

Another goal of our work is to understand how the cerebellum functionally wires up with the cerebral cortex and how this circuit emerges during development. This information is necessary to understand the role of the cerebellum in higher order brain functions and the contribution of cerebellar malformations to mental disorders.