​Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Team Lead: Dr Jahan Salma​, Assistant Professor 

Dr Jahan Salma, in collaboration with Professor Arnold Kriegstein’s team at University of California, San Francisco​, is investigating the function of a specific family of genes in the development of the embryonic human cortex and their potential role in neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dr Salma is taking the experimental approach of modelling human brain development in the dish by using human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) technology in combination with three-dimensional (3D) culture called cerebral organoids that she has grown at AKU-​CRM. ​

The overall aim of this research is to examine the emergence of human-specific neural cell types, cortical features and molecular mechanisms that regulate embryonic development of th​​e cortical brain addressing key questions such as:

• How does the human cortex develop?

• What makes it unique from other species? ​

• How do disorders like autism impact the brain's development and function?

• How key genetic factors regulate the development of neural progenitor's differentiation, cellular diversity, and cell-type-specific synaptic connectivity? ​​