Kelly Monk, PhD

Professor and Co-Director, Vollum Institute

Oregon Health & Science University

Host(s): Dritan Agalliu (Faculty)

Molecular and genetic analysis of glial cell development

Although historically understudied compared to neurons, glial cells are critical regulators of every major aspect of nervous system biology. We can no longer afford to ignore half of the brain if we wish to understand nervous system development, function, and disease. A mechanistic understanding of how glia perform their myriad essential roles remains elusive. Using zebrafish as a discovery platform coupled with synergistic approaches in mice, we are exploring pressing questions in glial cell biology: How do glia acquire the complex morphologies that enable their functions? What molecules are used for proper axon-glial, glial-glial, and glial-vasculature communication? How do glia use these mechanisms to control neural circuit function and ultimately animal behavior? Illuminating the mechanisms by which glia talk to neurons and control their function will bring us much closer to a true understanding of how the brain works.

Relevant Publications: 

FBXW7 regulates MYRF levels to control myelin capacity and homeostasis in the adult CNS

Venue Information:

Speaker Location: Jerome L. Greene Science Center, Kavli Auditorium, 9th Floor Lecture Hall

The Columbia Neuroscience Seminars have been organized to help build community and collaboration among researchers interested in this broad field across campus. The in-person activities, including the talks, provide meaningful interactions for the speakers, many of whom have traveled a long way to visit Columbia. However, if you are a Columbia researcher on another campus and are unable to attend the talk at the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, please email [email protected] at least 48 hours in advance to request an individual, one-time Zoom link (livestream only, no Q&A). 

If you have a short- or long-term accommodation request (medical issue, travel, other concerns, etc.), or any other questions, please also reach out to [email protected].

Tuesdays@10 is a signature Zuckerman Institute initiative that aims to expose researchers at all levels to high-quality science and stimulate scientific discourse. The speakers featured in this series represent various fields and techniques in neuroscience, and include invited guests of the Columbia Neuroscience Seminars, the Zuckerman Institute's Local Circuits Affiliates Program, and other special seminar series through a combined, collaborative effort of one or more of the following: Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, the Center for Precision Psychiatry, the Department of Neuroscience, the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior and the Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative, and with support from the Kavli Institute for Brain Science. 

More information and a full schedule can be found here.