Nervous System Diseases Program

HSCI researchers take a single-cell dive into how aging affects gene expression in the mouse brain By Jessica Lau HSCI researchers have created a highly detailed map of how the mouse brain changes with age. Using single-cell sequencing, the scientists...

Study reveals zebrafish make an unexpected decision when faced with conflicting opportunities By Jessica Lau When making decisions that are important to the species’ survival, zebrafish choose mating over fleeing from a threat. This decision, different...

Reproducible, miniature 3D models of human brain tissue open up new frontiers in neuroscience Summary Research led by scientists at Harvard and the Broad Institute has optimized the process of making human brain ‘organoids’ – miniature 3D organ models –...

Four faculty members of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) have been recognized as leaders in their fields. Elliot Chaikof, M.D., Ph.D. is an HSCI Principal Faculty member and the Johnson and Johnson Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School (HMS...

Harvard researchers identify the specific cells in the brain that process perceived threats Summary - HSCI researchers discovered a specific type of brain cell that modulates how mice respond to threats. - The findings help us understand how the...

Discovery opens doors to improving diagnostics and developing new therapy for majority of ALS patients Summary HSCI-funded research using human pluripotent stem cell models and tissue from ALS patients found that the protein TDP-43 regulates a gene called...

Clinical trial success based on stem cell models in the lab Summary A clinical trial, supported in part by the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), has shown that the drug retigabine improves a characteristic of motor neurons that is impacted in...

Clifford Woolf wants to reboot drug discovery to find a new way to treat pain: effectively and responsibly. Woolf’s goal is to stop the opioid crisis by rejecting the conventional approach to drug discovery and developing painkillers that do not harm...

HSCI scientists identify a potential target for treating neuropathic pain Why do people with neuropathic pain feel pain from minor touches and other normally harmless stimuli? Setting out to answer this question, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI)...

HSCI Faculty ‘extraordinary’ innovation recognized by the NIH HSCI Principal Faculty members Jeffrey Macklis, Alex Schier and Brian Wainger were recently recognized ‘for exceptional creativity’ by the NIH’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. Jeff...