Bio
Neal D. Amin, MD, PhD is a practicing Stanford psychiatrist and neurobiologist who studies human cellular neurodevelopment - the process by which genetic and molecular pathways give rise to immense cellular diversity in the human brain during embryonic development. A more complete understanding of human cellular neurodevelopment will lead to the next generation of targeted therapeutics for wide ranging neuropsychiatric conditions.
Dr. Amin completed his graduate work with Professor Samuel Pfaff (Salk Institute) where he investigated the regulatory dynamics of a miRNA associated with neurodegeneration using mouse genetic models, single cell RNA sequencing, in vivo CRISPR/Cas9, and linear and non-linear models of the impact of gene dose variation on neurodevelopment and mammalian survival (see: Amin, N.D., et al., Science, 2015; Amin, N.D.*, et al., Neuron 2021, Amin, N.D.*, et al. STAR Protocols; *co-corresponding author). At Stanford, Dr. Amin worked with Stanford Professor Sergiu Pasca, MD to use stem-cell derived human brain organoids as model of neurodevelopment and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as 22q11 deletion syndrome and motor neuron diseases. Human brain organoids are three dimensional cellular models of the human nervous system that recapitulate complex macrostructural and cellular features of the human brain. He published a highly cited review on the utility of human brain organoid technology for studying psychiatric disorders (Amin, N.D., and Pasca, S.P. Neuron, 2018). Dr. Amin is principal investigator on awards from the NIH/NINDS (K08 Career Development Award) and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (NARSAD Young Investigator Award). He has particular interest in leveraging cutting-edge biological technologies and bioinformatics to advance the investigation of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Dr. Amin completed the Stanford Psychiatry Research Track Residency Program and completed the Palo Alto Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program Fellowship Year. He was recognized with the Outstanding Resident Award from the NIMH/NIH for his academic contributions. He recognizes the critical importance of advancing human neuroscience for the countless patients and families suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders that lack effective treatments. He is a practicing therapist and psychiatrist in Stanford's Evaluation Clinic.
