Laboratory of Cellular and Tissue Physiology

Reverse-engineering brain function and dysfunction at Stanford University

We aim to understand fundamental principles underlying the homeostasis, plasticity, and resilience of cells and circuits in the mammalian brain. Our approach bridges molecular, cellular, and systems neuroscience to obtain comprehensive insights into mechanisms of brain function and dysfunction at multiple scales. To answer previously intractable questions and expand our ability to engineer biological systems, we develop new technologies that span computation, synthetic biology, imaging, genomics, and neuroscience.

We study the fundamental principles of how physiological pathways within different types of cells establish and maintain the function of the brain over a lifespan, even in the face of damage or stressors. This entails both systematic mapping of the brain at multiple scales, as well as targeted mechanistic studies of individual molecules and circuits.

Ultimately, our goal is to improve human health by preventing or reversing the loss of brain function from aging and psychiatric, neurological, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative disease.

Reading & writing biology

We develop new imaging, genomic, and molecular tools to measure and manipulate genes and cells at an unprecedentedly high resolution and large scale in situ in living animals. 

By combining these highly multiplexed experiments with large-scale AI methods, we aim to develop general strategies to reverse-engineer how genetic and physiological perturbations affect cellular structure and function in complex tissue environments over space and time.

Engineering cells & tissues