Research summary
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) affect eight to nine per cent of children and youth in Canada—but there is currently no effective treatment. These disorders include intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy. As Canada Research Chair in Molecular Genetics of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Dr. Qiumin Tan is deepening our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying these disorders.
She and her research team are dissecting and discovering the neurological factors that contribute to the development of NDDs—from studying the functions of genes associated with them to evaluating the physiological relevance of implicated cell types. Ultimately, their research will offer insight into the disease mechanisms of NDDs and enable the development of effective treatments.