Cell type evolution in the primate brain
Primate brains vary in size and organization, but the genetic, developmental, and cellular basis for these differences has been difficult to study due to limited experimental models. In this talk, I will describe three complementary approaches for studying human-specific gene network evolution in conserved cell types using stem cell derived models and genome engineering. Ultimately, functional studies in great ape stem cell models, complemented by comparisons and validation in available primary tissue, could be applied beyond studies of progenitor cell evolution to decode the genetic and developmental origin of recent changes in cellular organization, connectivity patterns, myelination, and synaptic activity that have been implicated in human cognition.
Date: 23 April 2024, 16:00 (Tuesday, 1st week, Trinity 2024)
Venue: Sherrington Library, off Parks Road OX1 3PT
Venue Details: Sherrington Building
Speaker: Alex Pollen, PhD (University of California)
Organising department: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG)
Organiser: Professor Zoltan Molnar (DPAG, University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: zoltan.molnar@dpag.ox.ac.uk
Host: Professor Zoltan Molnar (DPAG, University of Oxford)
Part of: Neuroscience Theme Guest Speakers (DPAG)
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Hannah Simm