Kathlyn Gan

Research Interests

Synapses, the unitary connections between neurons that enable information processing and memory storage, decline in number and function as we age.  This loss of synaptic connectivity weakens neural circuits and networks, leading to cognitive impairment and increasing the risk of disease.  To help develop effective therapeutic strategies for neurodegeneration, our lab studies molecular pathways that regulate synapse formation and function and harnesses them to restore synaptic connectivity in the aging brain.  In particular, we are investigating how specific regenerative factors, found enriched in young blood, promote synapse formation and function in human neurons.  Our lab combines approaches in stem cell biology and neuronal induction, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, recombinant protein biochemistry, electrophysiology, and high-resolution microscopy to pursue these research goals. 

Key words

•            Mechanisms of human synapse formation and function

•            Regenerative factors

•            Stem cell biology

•            Recombinant protein biochemistry

•            Electrophysiology

•            Confocal imaging

Research Areas

•            Aging and neurodegeneration

•            Cellular and molecular neuroscience

•            Synaptic physiology

Teaching Interests

BIOC19H3 (Fall 2022) Animal Developmental Biology