Anita Bhattacharyya, PHD
Position title: Associate Professor, Cell and Regenerative Biology
Email: bhattacharyy@waisman.wisc.edu
Website: Website
Phone: 608-265-6142
- Organ System/Disease Focus:
- Nervous system, developmental disorders
- Aligned Research Focus:
- Basic stem cell science, drug discovery and testing
News Releases:
- UW effort to map Down syndrome brain raises prospect of treatment for disorder; October 24, 2023
- New Study Reveals Changes in Key Pathway in Down Syndrome; June 21, 2022
- Stem cell project to create new model to study brain development and Down syndrome; October 11, 2021
- Down syndrome neurons grown from stem cells show signature problems; May 27, 2013
More information:
Videos:
Research Description:
My research examines how brain development is altered in individuals with developmental disabilities. I am using human pluripotent stem cells to study the formation of the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is the most complex area of the brain and is responsible for functions unique to humans, such as language and abstract thought. Problems with any of the cerebral cortex’s crucial development steps can lead to intellectual disability.
My goal is to use stem cells to examine the alterations that occur in cortical development with a current focus on Down syndrome. These studies will not only shed light on brain development in developmental disorders but will help our understanding of human brain development in general.
Selected References:
- West NR, Arachchilage KH, Knaack S, Hosseini M, Risgaard RD, MacGregor S, Kumarage P, Martinez JL, Wang D, Sousa AMM, Bhattacharyya A. (2025). Single-nucleus analysis reveals dysregulated oxidative phosphorylation in Down syndrome basal forebrain at birth. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Feb 6:2025.02.05.636750. doi: 10.1101/2025.02.05.636750. PMID: 39975363; PMCID: PMC11839037.
- Russo, M. L., Sousa, A. M. M., & Bhattacharyya, A. (2024). Consequences of trisomy 21 for brain development in Down syndrome. Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 25(11), 740–755. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-024-00866-2
- Risgaard K, Sorci I, Mohan S, Bhattacharyya A*. Meta-analysis of in vivo Down syndrome cortical development reveals underdeveloped state of the science. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 2022 June 16. DOI=10.3389/fncel.2022.915272.
- Zhao X* and Bhattacharyya A*. The need for human models to study human neurodevelopmental disorders (2018). AJHG 103(6): 829-857. PMCID: PMC6288051
- Weick JP, Held DL, Bonadurer GF 3rd, Doers ME, Liu Y, Maguire C, Clark A, Knackert JA, Molinarolo K, Musser M, Yao L, Yin Y, Lu J, Zhang X, Zhang SC, Bhattacharyya A*. Deficits in human trisomy 21 iPSCs and neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Jun 11;110(24):9962-7. PubMed PMCID: PMC3683748.
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