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**** Attention **** updated 08/03/2025
We are seeking lab members, including PhD and MS candidates. If you are interested in our research project, feel free to contact me (Kazuhito Toyooka at Contact Form or [email protected]).
Thank you for visiting the website of the Toyooka Lab at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.
Our team studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying healthy cortical development. Current research focuses on identifying the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 17p13.3 deletion/duplication syndromes, as well as neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's Disease, as well as developing treatments for these diseases, including the development of drugs and peptides as medications and gene therapies based on CRISPR/Cas9.
We have used an array of techniques to achieve this goal. A few examples are hiPSC disease models, mouse genetic approaches including transgenic and knockout mice, in utero electroporation, time-lapse live imaging, such as Ca2+ imaging, in culture neurons and on brain slices, GRAPHIC technique for neural connectivity, and FingR technique for synapse formation.
Neuronal Morphogenesis - Methods and ProtocolsRecent Updates
8/1/2025: We are pleased to welcome Isaiah Norman, PhD candidate in the Neuroscience program, to our lab.
07/21/2025: Congratulations on Diane Kim's new position as a research assistant.
07/02/2025: We are pleased to welcome Adhya Amin, an undergraduate student at Drexel University, to our lab.
06/02/2025: We are pleased to welcome Mackenzie Ferguson, MS candidate, to our lab.
05/30/2025: We are pleased to welcome Anushka Singhal, a research assistant, to our lab.
05/28/2025: We are pleased to welcome Tiffany Kim, an undergraduate volunteer intern, to our lab.
04/11/2025: We are pleased to welcome Rohan Biswas, an undergraduate student at Drexel University, to our lab.
04/11/2025: We are pleased to welcome Gergana Gesheva, an undergraduate student at Drexel University, to our lab.
04/11/2025: We are pleased to welcome Alicia Cooper, an undergraduate student at Drexel University, to our lab.
04/01/2025: Congratulations on Shiena Watanabe's new position as a postdoctoral fellow.
07/21/2025: Congratulations on Diane Kim's new position as a research assistant.
07/02/2025: We are pleased to welcome Adhya Amin, an undergraduate student at Drexel University, to our lab.
06/02/2025: We are pleased to welcome Mackenzie Ferguson, MS candidate, to our lab.
05/30/2025: We are pleased to welcome Anushka Singhal, a research assistant, to our lab.
05/28/2025: We are pleased to welcome Tiffany Kim, an undergraduate volunteer intern, to our lab.
04/11/2025: We are pleased to welcome Rohan Biswas, an undergraduate student at Drexel University, to our lab.
04/11/2025: We are pleased to welcome Gergana Gesheva, an undergraduate student at Drexel University, to our lab.
04/11/2025: We are pleased to welcome Alicia Cooper, an undergraduate student at Drexel University, to our lab.
04/01/2025: Congratulations on Shiena Watanabe's new position as a postdoctoral fellow.
01/09/2025: We are pleased to welcome Neetika Mishra, an undergraduate student at Drexel University, to our lab.
11/07/2024: Lab members, Sierra Coleman, Samridhi Sudan, Diane Kim, Vicky Shih, William Telfer and Vasu, presented their posters at Drexel Discovery Day 2024. See the photos in News and Team.
11/07/2024: Lab members, Sierra Coleman, Samridhi Sudan, Diane Kim, Vicky Shih, William Telfer and Vasu, presented their posters at Drexel Discovery Day 2024. See the photos in News and Team.
11/4/2024: We are pleased to welcome Christine Deng, a MD candidate at Drexel University, to our lab.
10/7/2024: We are pleased to welcome Lilit Drak, a MD candidate at Drexel University, to our lab.
9/5/2024: We are pleased to welcome Emily Taylor, an undergraduate volunteer, to our lab.
8/29/2024: Samridhi Sudan, an undergrad lab member & STAR Scholar, presented a poster at the Drexel STAR Scholars Summer Showcase.
8/17/2024: A book on neuronal morphogenesis has recently been published.
Neuronal Morphogenesis - Methods and Protocols
10/7/2024: We are pleased to welcome Lilit Drak, a MD candidate at Drexel University, to our lab.
9/5/2024: We are pleased to welcome Emily Taylor, an undergraduate volunteer, to our lab.
8/29/2024: Samridhi Sudan, an undergrad lab member & STAR Scholar, presented a poster at the Drexel STAR Scholars Summer Showcase.
8/17/2024: A book on neuronal morphogenesis has recently been published.
Neuronal Morphogenesis - Methods and Protocols
Publications
Neuronal Morphogenesis - Methods and Protocols
Kazuhito Toyooka (Editor & author)
Methods in Molecular Biology, Neuronal Morphogenesis - Methods and Protocols, Springer, 2024
Localization of activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) in neurospheres
Sarah A. Bennison, Sara M. Blazejewski, Xiaonan Liu, Gal Hacohen-Kleiman, Shlomo Sragovich, Sofia Zoidou, Olga Touloumi, Nikolaos Grigoriadis, Illana Gozes, Kazuhito Toyo-oka
Molecular Psychiatry, vol. 28(5), 2023, p. 1829
Sarah A. Bennison, Sara M. Blazejewski, Xiaonan Liu, Gal Hacohen-Kleiman, Shlomo Sragovich, Sofia Zoidou, Olga Touloumi, Nikolaos Grigoriadis, Illana Gozes, Kazuhito Toyo-oka
Molecular Psychiatry, vol. 28(5), 2023, pp. 1946-1959
KIFC1 regulates the trajectory of neuronal migration.
H. Muralidharan, Shrobona Guha, Kiran Madugula, Ankita Patil, Sarah A. Bennison, Xiaohuan Sun, K. Toyo-oka, P. Baas
Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 42(11), 2022, pp. 2149-2165
Megan R. Radler, Xiaonan Liu, Megan Peng, Brenna Doyle, Kazuhito Toyo-Oka, Elias T. Spiliotis
Current Biology, 2022, In Press
Nuak kinase signaling in development and disease of the central nervous system
Sarah A. Bennison, Xiaonan Liu, Kazuhito Toyo-oka
Cellular Signaling, 2022, In Press
Sara M. Blazejewski, Sarah A. Bennison, Ngoc T. Ha, Xiaonan Liu, Trevor H. Smith, K. Dougherty, K. Toyo-oka
Cerebral cortex, vol. 32(4), 2022, pp. 770-795
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