Pfaff Lab

The Pfaff laboratory studies two biological areas: (1) the characterization of spinal circuitry that controls limb movements; and (2) development of synthetic RNA-based strategies for treating genetic diseases. With regard to motor circuitry we are interested in how the spinal cord integrates conscious commands from the brain with subconscious sensory information from the periphery to calculate and command the precise movement of our limbs. Our studies on genetic systems examine how we can coopt the cell’s intrinsic machinery for RNA-processing to create a new generation of tools for reprogramming gene expression to treat diseases.

Major research questions:

• What neuron types comprise the spinal cord and how are they connected?
• How are different muscles coordinated during multi-joint movements?
• What is the function of different neuronal types within the spinal cord?
• What causes motor neuron degeneration?
• How can genetic diseases be treated using gene replacement?
• How can gene expression be targeted to specific cell types?