Our research is now supported by a 2024 Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) Pilot Award, co-funded by the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation (NLMFF). I am grateful to both SFARI and NLMFF for investing in high-risk, high-reward science to advance understanding of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and neurodevelopmental disorders.
The project will explore how mutations in chromatin regulators ASH1L and SETBP1 impair their crucial role in guiding the development of GABAergic neurons—key cells maintaining the brain’s balance between excitation and inhibition. Disruptions in this process are strongly linked to ASD, but the molecular pathways remain poorly understood.
By integrating genomic, proteomic, and functional approaches, we aim to reveal how these enzymes regulate gene activity during inhibitory neuron development and how their dysfunction contributes to ASD.
Official announcements:
SFARI: https://www.sfari.org/2025/04/08/announcing-the-recipients-of-the-2024-pilot-and-pilot-progression-awards/
NLMFF: https://www.nlmfoundation.org/grant/epigenetic-regulators-ash1l-and-setbp1-in-gabaergic-neuron-development-and-asd/
#newsmayerlab #SFARI #NLMFF #AutismResearch #Neurodevelopment #Epigenetics #GABA #Genomics #Chromatin #Neuroscience
