Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Mechanisms and Therapeutics (J5)
January 19-22, 2027
| Beaver Run Conference Center, Breckenridge, CO, United States
Tomasz Nowakowski, Xin Jin, Stephan Sanders and Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou
Scholarship Deadline: Sep. 25, 2026 | Abstract Deadline: Dec. 30, 2026 | Early Registration Deadline: Nov. 20, 2026
Tuesday, January 19, 2027
| 4:00–8:00 PM |
Registration |
Colorado Ballroom Foyer |
| 6:00–8:00 PM |
Welcome Mixer |
Colorado Ballroom Foyer |
Wednesday, January 20, 2027
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Summit Gallery |
| 8:00–8:10 AM |
Welcome Remarks |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 8:10–9:00 AM |
Keynote Address |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Huda Y. Zoghbi, Baylor College of Medicine
A Journey in Rett Syndrome: From Basic Science Discovery of Causal Gene to Therapies of Patients |
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| 9:00–11:15 AM |
Decoding Variant Effects: From Population Genomics to Functional Consequences |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Hyejung Won, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Experimental Validation of Common Variants of Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
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Xin Jin, Scripps Research Institute
Massively Parallel Dissection of Gene to Phenotype Relationships Using Perturb-seq |
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Thomas Bourgeron, Institut Pasteur
The Genetic Orchestra of Autism: From Medicine to Neurodiversity |
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Tychele Turner, Washington University in St. Louis
Short Talk: Genomic Configurations Model the Systems-Level Organization of Autism-Associated Variation |
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| 9:30–9:50 AM |
Coffee Break |
Breckenridge Ballroom Foyer |
| 9:50–9:55 AM |
Award Recipient Acknowledgement |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 11:25–12:25 PM |
Meet the Editors |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 12:25–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3 |
| 12:25–2:30 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
|
| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3 |
| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 1: Emerging Technologies in the Study of Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Hailing Shi, Emory University School of Medicine
Short Talk: Multimodal Spatial Functional Genomics in Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
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Noopur Khobrekar, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Short Talk: Parallel CRISPRi Screening of 204 SPARK Cohort Autism Risk Genes Reveals Cell-type-specific Gene Programs in Human Cortical Neurons and Microglia |
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Patricia Nano, Rice University
Short Talk: Intrinsic Coordination of Dynamic Molecular Signatures Shape the Human Prefrontal Cortex |
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Eran A Mukamel †, University of California, San Diego
Short Talk: Postnatal Reconfiguration of the Human Neuronal Epigenome Via Hydroxymethylation |
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Ashley G Anderson, Baylor College of Medicine
Short Talk: CRISPR screens identify CSNK2A1 as a Druggable Regulator of MeCP2 and Highlight Molecular Convergence Across Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome and MECP2-Related Disorders |
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Damaris N Lorenzo, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Short Talk: Membrane Cytoskeletal Aggregation Drives Proteotoxic and Network Dysfunction in SPTBN1 Syndrome |
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Benjamin H Weekley, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Short Talk: Histone Serotonylation Recruitment of KMT2E Regulates Chromatin Dynamics In Neurodevelopment |
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| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
Breckenridge Ballroom Foyer |
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
Molecular Mechanisms Linking Gene Dysregulation to Protein Function and Cellular Phenotypes |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Yukiko Gotoh, University of Tokyo
Genetic and Epigenetic Mechanisms of Cortical Development |
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Willow Coyote-Maestas, University of California, San Francisco
Deep Mutational Scanning Approaches to Correlate Structure and Function of Proteins |
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Sila Ultanir, Francis Crick Institute
Kinase Signaling in Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
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Jiami Guo, university of Calgary
Short Talk: Neuronal Primary Cilia Modulate Excitatory Synapses Formation and Plasticity |
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Katherine Matho †, Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Short Talk: Brain-Wide Cellular-Resolution Mapping Of Cortical Defects In A Mouse Model of 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome |
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| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Summit Gallery |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 1 |
Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3 |
Thursday, January 21, 2027
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Summit Gallery |
| 8:00–11:00 AM |
Circuit Dynamics Shaping Developmental Outcomes |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Gabrielle Pouchelon, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Transient Connectivity and Circuit Reprogramming in Cortical Development |
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Guillermina López Bendito, Instituto de Neurociencias
Spontaneous Activity–Gene Program Interplay in Circuits Development: Implications for Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
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Liqun Luo, Stanford University
Wiring Specificity of Neural Circuits |
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Weizhe Hong, UCLA Los Angeles
The Neuroscience of Prosocial Behavior: From Helping and Cooperation to Social AI |
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Rui Peixoto, University of Pittsburgh
Short Talk: Intrinsic Excitability Deficits Precede Synaptic Dysfunction in the Developing mPFC of Shank3B−/− Mice |
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Aya Ito-Ishida, RIKEN Center for Brain Science
Short Talk: Cross-Species Analyses Reveal Disturbance of Cortical Functional Hierarchy in Rett Syndrome |
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| 9:00–9:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
Breckenridge Ballroom Foyer |
| 11:10–12:10 PM |
Panel Discussion 1: What to Translate? When to Translate? How to Translate? |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 12:10–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3 |
| 12:10–3:00 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
|
| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3 |
| 3:30–4:30 PM |
Career Roundtable (Joint) |
Colorado Ballroom Peak 4-5 |
| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
Breckenridge Ballroom Foyer |
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
Experimental Models for Interrogating Human Specific Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Tomasz Nowakowski, University of California, San Francisco
Establishing Tools for Human Neuroscience |
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Pierre Vanderhaeghen, KU Leuven
Interrogating Human Specific and Neurodevelopmental Risk Genes using Chimeric Models |
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Giorgia Quadrato, University of Southern California, USC Stem Cell
Talk Title to be Announced |
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Rebecca Andersen, Boston Children's Hospital
Short Talk: Transcriptomic Convergence and the Female Protective Effect in Autism |
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Xuyu Qian, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Short Talk: Spatial Single-Cell Omics Reveals Selective Neuronal Vulnerability and Pathological Cell States in Focal Cortical Dysplasia Type 2 |
|
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Summit Gallery |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 2 |
Colorado Ballroom Peak 1-3 |
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Summit Gallery |
| 8:00–11:00 AM |
Environment and Experience |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou, University of Pennsylvania
Epigenetic Dissection of Mechanisms underlying Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
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Kristen J. Brennand, Yale School of Medicine
Insights into Gene-Environment Interactions in Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
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Gloria Choi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cytokine Regulation of Brain and Behavior |
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Anca M. Pasca, Stanford University
Neonatal Hypoxia and Pediatric Risk Factors |
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Alberto Cruz-Martin, University of Colorado, Anschutz Madical Campus
Short Talk: A Tale of Two Risks: Early-Life Adversity Shapes the Expression of SCHEMA Schizophrenia Risk Genes |
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Lu Wang, USC
Short Talk: Using Human Stem Cell-Based Organoid Models to Understand Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
|
| 9:00–9:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
Breckenridge Ballroom Foyer |
| 11:10–12:10 PM |
Panel Discussion 2: Grand Challenges in NDDs |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 12:10–2:30 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
|
| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 2 |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Kristopher T Kahle, Massachusetts General Hospital
Short Talk: Genetic Disruption of Developmental Scaling in Chiari I Malformation |
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Helen Bateup, University of California, Berkeley
Short Talk: Investigating Astrocyte Contributions to TSC Using Human Brain Organoid Models |
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Yuanquan Song, University of Pennsylvania and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Short Talk: Spliceosome Malfunction Leads to Neurodevelopmental Disorders With Overlapping Features |
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Emma F Jones †, Washington University in St. Louis
Short Talk: MYT1L Haploinsufficiency Profoundly Dysregulates Transcription, Circuitry, and Behavior across Multiple Brain Regions |
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Wardiya Afshar-Saber, Boston Children's Hospital
Short Talk: Gene Replacement in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Reversing Metabolic and Neuronal Altered Function in SSADH Deficiency |
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Nicolas Seban, UC Davis
Short Talk: A Conserved Molecular Signature of CHD8 Haploinsufficiency Across Diverse Neurodevelopmental Contexts |
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Marissa Co, Virginia Tech
Short Talk: Distinct Molecular Mechanisms Define Classes of Pathogenic Variants in TBR1 Syndrome |
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Marwan Ghanem, Scripps Research
Short Talk: An Innovative RNA Technology Targeting the Reversal of Neurodevelopmental Conditions Stemming from Haploinsufficiency |
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| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
Breckenridge Ballroom Foyer |
| 5:00–6:15 PM |
From Genetic Targets to Therapeutic Strategies |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
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Stephan Sanders, University of Oxford
Gene Targeting Strategies for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
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Joe Gleeson, University of California, San Diego
Lessons from Neurodevelopmental Disease |
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Xiaochang Zhang, University of Chicago
Short Talk: Making Sense Out of Nonsense: Switching Poison Exons to Modify Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
|
| 6:15–7:05 PM |
Closing Keynote Address |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| |
Allyson Berent, Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics/AS2Bio
The Parents’ Journey through Drug Development: Making the IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE-The Angelman Syndrome Story |
|
| 7:05–7:15 PM |
Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions |
Breckenridge Ballroom |
| 7:15–8:15 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Summit Gallery |
| 8:00–9:00 PM |
Entertainment |
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Saturday, January 23, 2027
