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Colleen Niswender

Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (VCNDD)
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology (VICB)
Vanderbilt Program in Molecular Medicine (VPMM)
Academic Drug Discovery Consortium


The Niswender lab investigates the basic biology of and develops fundamentally new treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders such as Rett syndrome, MECP2 Duplication syndrome, Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, and Neurofibromatosis Type I. We use a combination of molecular, biochemical, electrophysiological, and behavioral techniques in mouse models of these diseases for our studies. Additionally, as part of the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, we are evaluating the therapeutic potential of new drug candidates in these models and hope to advance our findings into clinical development to impact the lives of children and families affected by a neurodevelopmental disorder. In addition to being part of the VCNDD, we are also members of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Intellectual Disability and the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology.

The Niswender lab investigates the basic biology of and develops fundamentally new treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders such as Rett syndrome, MECP2 Duplication syndrome, Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, and Neurofibromatosis Type I. We use a combination of molecular, biochemical, electrophysiological, and behavioral techniques in mouse models of these diseases for our studies. Additionally, as part of the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, we are evaluating the therapeutic potential of new drug candidates in these models and hope to advance our findings into clinical development to impact the lives of children and families affected by a neurodevelopmental disorder. In addition to being part of the VCNDD, we are also members of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Intellectual Disability and the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology.

Keywords: Rett syndrome , Neurodevelopment , Drug Discovery , Allosteric modulator , Neuroscience

Research Area: Drug Design , Chemical Biology , Developmental Neuroscience , Cell Signaling , Gene Regulation