Welcome to the Patzke Lab!
Human Neurons and Synapses: Development, Function, and Disease
Our lab is focused on human pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons as a tool to model human genetic neuropathological conditions (such as autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases) but also as means to understand the molecular basis of human cellular neurobiology. We are especially interested in the development of the wiring of the human brain and nervous system, synaptic communication & signaling.
Dr. Christopher Patzke
Principal Investigator
John M. and Mary Jo Boler Assistant Professor
Chris Patzke was born and raised in Berlin and grew up in West-Berlin before the Fall of the Wall. He investigates how genes and proteins contribute to synapse formation and function with the goal to understand how and why these processes are impaired in neuropsychiatric disorders. The proper development and functioning of the human brain and especially human synapses are very sensitive to mutations, so that a deeper understanding of molecular factors contributing to and specifying these processes is needed. After all, we are human beings who want to understand what we are and how we think and feel.
