Research in the lab focuses on brain development in mammals, with an emphasis on the questions of how the identity of neural cell types is specified and how neurons establish their connections with each other during normal development. We use mouse genetics combined with molecular, biochemical and genomic studies to investigate the mechanisms for normal brain development and the pathology of developmental defects, which underlie devastating neurological conditions. Furthermore, we attempt to exploit our knowledge of the developmental control of neural differentiation to direct differentiation of embryonic stem cells, which would facilitate our search for new or improved strategies for these devastating brain disease.
