Hongkui Zeng joined the Allen Institute in December 2006 to lead the mouse genetics program to generate genetic tools for the study of neural circuitry and function, as well as efforts to understand anatomical and gene expression changes in diseased brains. Zeng received her Ph.D. in molecular and cell biology from Brandeis University in 1996, where she studied the molecular mechanisms of the circadian clock in fruit flies. As a Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she used conditional mouse genetic technologies to study the molecular and synaptic mechanisms underlying hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. In 2001, she joined a biotechnology start-up where she headed several pivotal research programs, including genome-wide characterization of the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily, development of an inducible gene inactivation technology platform, and a comprehensive behavioral study program to identify novel drug targets and candidate small molecules for the treatment of CNS diseases, such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, pain and movement disorders. Zeng has broad scientific experience and a keen interest in using a combined molecular, genetic and pharmacological approach to unravel the causes and potential therapeutics of the diseases of the brain.

<< Back