“With the help of organoids we can understand developmental diseases of the brain better and, in time, also treat them better.”
Research focus: neurological diseases and nerve pathways
Jeroen Pasterkamp is Professor of Translational Neuroscience at Utrecht University Medical Centre and Utrecht University. He is also scientific director at the UMC Utrecht Brain Center and director of the MIND Facility. His research focuses on the formation of nerve pathways and the causes of change and loss of nerve pathways in neurological disorders such as ALS and epilepsy. Jeroen leads the Pasterkamp research group and collaborates with clinical and industrial partners in the development of translational models and pre-clinical applications. A multidisciplinary approach is central within the research group to study and manipulate both healthy and diseased nerve pathways. Among other things, the group uses brain organoids to better map the development of the young brain.
Jeroen's work has been published in prestigious journals such as Cell, Journal of Neuroscience, Nature, Nature Genetics and PNAS. He also regularly contributes to Current Opinion, Trends and Nature Reviews.
Areas of interest:
- Brain development in early childhood
- Stem cells
- Language acquisition and language development disorders
- Organoids
- Nerve fibers
Chair
Translational Neuroscience
Inaugural lecture date
21.03.2014