Research Profile: Elucidating the Basis of Cognitive Impairments in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

October 23, 2023

Dan Tsuma (UNC ‘24, CSS 8) is a biology major, with minors in chemistry and data science from Rockville, MD. His research with the Philpot Lab in the UNC Neuroscience Center studies Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS) and analyzes dendritic spine morphology.

Where do you conduct your research?

In Dr. Ben Philpot’s lab at the UNC Neuroscience Center

What research questions does your lab study?

Our lab is interested in researching the neurodevelopmental disorders, Angelman syndrome and Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, to develop gene therapies and novel drug treatments.

Please tell us a little about your specific research project.

I study Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS), a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability, developmental delay, and autistic behavior. I analyze dendritic spine morphology and distribution in a novel PTHS mouse model to elucidate their role in PTHS-related learning and memory deficits

How has this experience shaped your future goals?

My experience in the Philpot lab has allowed me to pinpoint my research interest in neurological disease and career interest in physician-science. My goal is to study neurological disease as a physician-scientist and discover novel treatments for patients.

What has been the most fun or interesting part of your research?

The lab environment is always a fun part of research. Everyone in my lab sits around each other so there is always an opportunity to engage in conversation, whether it be about neuroscience, tasty food, or anything else.

What was it like presenting your research at a national conference?

Although I have not yet presented my PTHS research at a national conference, I look forward to my two upcoming research presentations here at UNC (the Chancellor’s Science Scholars Research Symposium and the BIOL 395 Research Symposium). As I finalize data analysis and construct a poster, I look forward to presenting my research beyond UNC at relevant conferences.