Modeling Human Development and Diseases in Neurons and Brain Organoids

The Li Lab is interested in understanding how the human brain forms, what makes it unique from that of the other species, and how disorders like autism impact its development and function. We take the experimental approach of modeling human brain development in the dish, utilizing a combination of pluripotent stem cell technology, genome editing, and 3-dimensional organoid cultures. Our current research focuses on investigating the emergence of human-specific neural cell types and cortical features, and studying the molecular mechanisms underlying autism.