10/03/25
Congratulations to Dr Laura Sichlinger who has been awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship to support her research on SYNGAP1-related neurodevelopmental disorders. Laura will work in Professor Benjamin Blencowe’s lab at the CDN and lead the SYNGAP-IsoDev, a project investigating the role of SYNGAP1 isoforms in brain development.
It is well documented that mutations in SYNGAP1 can cause SYNGAP1-related intellectual disability (SRID), a developmental disorder with conditions overlapping those observed in epilepsy, developmental delay, and autism. However, mechanisms underlying the regulation of the SYNGAP1 gene, and the precise functions of SYNGAP1 isoforms across different stages of brain development, are currently unknown. Laura’s project will use cutting-edge techniques, including CRISPR activation, long-read sequencing, and human cortical organoids, to understand SYNGAP1 regulation, isoform expression and function. Her findings will have significant potential to yield new insights that could inform novel therapeutic strategies for SRID.
This MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship provides Dr Sichlinger with support over three years to conduct her project between the University of Pennsylvania and at the CDN. The SYNGAP-IsoDev project aligns closely with the Blencowe lab’s broader work on RNA biology and post-transcriptional regulation and will allow Laura to benefit from expertise in the Blencowe lab, the Centre more broadly, and at the University of Pennsylvania.
