Research

My current research interests lie in investigating the cell-type specific mechanisms that contribute to the onset and progression of hyperexcitability disorders of childhood. Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) are a group of severe childhood seizure disorders that have devastating effect on the overall health and development of children. One of the genetic causes is a mutation in a gene called Dnm1, which encodes the dynamin-1, a protein essential for synaptic vesicle endocytosis in neurons. The goal of my project is to understand how this mutation alters excitation-inhibition balance in the brain, consequently building towards developing an effective therapeutic strategy.

I am interested in understanding the mechanisms of seizure onset and progression in childhood genetic epilepsy and whether these signatures can be isolated to specific cell types, thus allowing for better designing of precision therapy by identifying necessary targets. My current research focuses on characterizing systemic effects emerging from cell type specific expression of pathological genetic mutation and strategies for phenotypic reversal.