Alexander Shcheglovitov: Studying Autism-Associated Disorders Using Human Brain Organoids Generated from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Approximately 1 in 31 children in the United States are diagnosed with autism-associated disorders. The underlying causes remain poorly understood, and there are currently no effective treatments for affected individuals. Brain organoids provide a novel powerful model for studying human brain development and disease. In my lab, we generate brain organoids from patients with specific autism-associated genetic mutations to investigate the disrupted cellular and molecular mechanisms. In this presentation, I will share our approach to using brain organoids to study human brain development and autism-associated brain disorders.

Dr. Alexander Shcheglovitov is an Associate Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Utah and a Faculty Director for the Utah Cellular Translational Research Core at Utah CTSI. He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in applied physics from the National Technical University of Ukraine, followed by a PhD in biophysics from the Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, Kyiv, Ukraine. He completed Postdoctoral training at the University of Virginia with Dr. Ed Perez-Reyes and Stanford University with Dr. Ricardo Dolmetsch. His lab studies human brain development and autism-associated neurodevelopmental disorders using brain organoids. Dr. Shcheglovitov is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Innovation Research Award from the International Society for Autism Research, NARSAD Young Investigator Award, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Innovation Award.

Moderator: Dr. Roman Shirokov (Rutgers U)

Admission to this event is free. Registration is required.

Suggested donation is $20