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Explore our cutting edge research, world-class patient care, career opportunities and more.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Home
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Department of Genomic and Translational Neuroscience
Bringing the mission of St. Jude to children living with catastrophic neurological disorders
About the department
The Department of Genomic and Translational Neuroscience was formed in 2026 as a natural extension of the institution’s commitment to bringing the mission of St. Jude to children living with catastrophic neurological disorders to change the treatment landscape and improve quality of life through pre-clinical and clinical research. The department advances the Pediatric Translational Neuroscience Initiative (PTNI) and houses the Center for Pediatric Neurological Disease Research (CPNDR) and the Center for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (CENT). CPNDR advances basic research into complex pediatric neurological conditions through examination of the genes and mutations driving those diseases and modeling of genetic drivers with an eye toward preclinical evaluation. At the same time, CENT accelerates the clinical development of promising treatments for these catastrophic diseases not only by conducting clinical trials for experimental neurotherapeutics, but also by aiding collaborators in clinical trial readiness and design.
Department faculty
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Fernando C. Alsina, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Fernando C. Alsina, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Investigating molecular and cellular mechanisms driving neural differentiation and maturation during brain development.
- Studying how neural cells utilize signaling pathways, transcriptomic regulation, and cytoskeletal dynamics.
- Exploring dual-function proteins that regulate RNA and the cytoskeleton, linked to neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders.
- Uncovering regulatory mechanisms in the nervous system to identify potential therapeutic targets.
Contact Information
Fernando C. Alsina, PhD
Department of Cell & Molecular Biology
MS 326
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Carsten G. Bönnemann, MD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chair, Department of Genomic and Translational Neuroscience
Carsten G. Bönnemann, MD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chair, Department of Genomic and Translational Neuroscience
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Genetics of neurogenetic and neuromuscular disorders
- Preclinical genetic therapeutics of neurogenetic and neuromuscular disorders
Contact Information
Carsten G. Bönnemann, MD
Genomic and Translational Neuroscience
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Xiaoyu Chen, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Xiaoyu Chen, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Therapeutic development for rare pediatric neurological disorders
- Stem cell-based tools for studying human nervous system
- (Patho)physiological transcription regulation across human brain development
Contact Information
Xiaoyu Chen, PhD
Center for Pediatric Neurological Disease Research
MS 326
St. Jude Childen's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Richard S. Finkel, MD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Director, Center for Experimental Neurotherapeutics
George J. Pedersen Endowed Chair in Neurotherapeutics
Richard S. Finkel, MD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Director, Center for Experimental Neurotherapeutics
George J. Pedersen Endowed Chair in Neurotherapeutics
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Participation in clinical trials with investigational drugs for pediatric neurologic and metabolic diseases
- Development of outcome measures, biomarkers, and clinical trial design for pediatric neurologic diseases
- Understanding the trajectories of change in pediatric neuromuscular diseases: spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth inherited neuropathies.
Contact Information
Richard S. Finkel, MD
Center for Experimental Neurotherapeutics
MS 760
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Andrea Gropman, MD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Director, Neurometabolic Translational Research
Mark F. Tamer Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurology
Andrea Gropman, MD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Director, Neurometabolic Translational Research
Mark F. Tamer Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurology
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Evaluating neurocognitive injury in inborn errors of metabolism using multimodal neuroimaging
- Pharmacologic development in mitochondrial disorders and urea cycle disorders
- Mitochondrial and leukodystrophy disease multimodal assessment to establish clinical trial readiness
- Using fNIRs to establish biomarkers of executive function deficits in intoxication type metabolic disorders
- Establishing biomarkers for clinical trial readiness in mendelian disorders associated with neurodevelopmental disabilities
Contact Information
Andrea Gropman, MD
Center for Experimental Therapeutics
MS 760
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Dolores Irala, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Dolores Irala, PhD
Assistant Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Excitatory and inhibitory synaptogenesis
- Astrocyte-neuron communication
- Astrocyte-secreted molecules during synapse formation
- Role of astrocyte dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders
Contact Information
Dolores Irala, PhD
Department of Cell & Molecular Biology
MS 326
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Peter J. McKinnon, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Vice-Chair, Department of Cell & Molecular Biology
Director, Center for Pediatric Neurological Disease Research
Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurological Diseases
Peter J. McKinnon, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Vice-Chair, Department of Cell & Molecular Biology
Director, Center for Pediatric Neurological Disease Research
Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurological Diseases
Affiliations
Research Interests
- DNA damage response in the nervous system
- Molecular neurobiology
- Mouse models of human disease
- Brain tumors
- Neurodegeneration
- Tumor suppressors
Contact Information
Peter J. McKinnon, PhD
Cell & Molecular Biology
MS 331, Room D3055F
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
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Heather C. Mefford, MD, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Heather C. Mefford, MD, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Affiliations
Research Interests
- Genetics of pediatric neurological disease
- Molecular mechanisms in epileptic encephalopathies
- Genome structure and rearrangements
Contact Information
Heather C. Mefford, MD, PhD
Center for Pediatric Neurological Disease Research
MS 340, Room D4063B
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
Contact us
Department of Genomic and Translational Neuroscience
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis, TN, 38105-3678 USA
Memphis, TN, 38105-3678 USA GET DIRECTIONS