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Master of Advanced Studies in Precision Medicine Therapeutics in Oncology MAS in PMTO
  1. Precision Medicine Therapeutics in Oncology
  2. Faculty
  3. Alysson R. Muotri, PhD

Alysson R. Muotri, PhD

Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Cellular & Molecular Medicine, UC San Diego School of Medicine | Director Archealization Center (ArchC) | Director Sanford Stem Cell Education and Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research (ISSCOR) Center | Director, Gene Therapy Initiative | Associate Director for the Center for Academic Research & Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), UC San Diego SOM, Rady Children’s Hospital, and Sanford Consortium

Alysson R. Muotri, PhD
Dr. Muotri earned a BSc in Biological Sciences from the State University of Campinas in 1995 and a Ph.D. in Genetics in 2001 from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. He moved to the Salk Institute as Pew Latin America Fellow in 2002 for a postdoctoral training in the fields of neuroscience and stem cell biology. His research focuses on brain evolution and modeling neurological diseases using human induced pluripotent stem cells and brain organoids. He pioneered on the use of human brain model system to gain insights on neurological conditions, such as autism and Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, his lab uses the International Space Station (ISS) to accelerate human aging in space, opening opportunities to protect astronaut’s cognition and creating novel therapeutic opportunities on Earth. Due to his highly innovative multidisciplinary research and creativity, he has received several awards, including the prestigious NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, NARSAD, Emerald Foundation Young Investigator Award, Surugadai Award, Rock Star of Innovation, NIH EUREKA Award, and two Telly Awards for Excellence in Science Communication, among several others.