We study how the brain normally develops during embryogenesis and how neurodevelopmental disorders arise when normal development goes awry. Much of our work has concentrated on the transcription factors Foxg1, Pax6 and Gli3, in collaboration with David Price, Thomas Pratt and Thomas Theil. These transcription factors act as high level regulators and are crucial for normal development of the brain. 

We are using cerebral organoids to explore mechanisms of human brain development, and to understand how neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and FOXG1 Syndrome arise. Cerebral organoids are small, 3D cultures grown from human stem cells that closely resemble normal brain tissue. This powerful new system allows us to study development of human brain tissue in ways that have not been possible previously.