Alysson Muotri is professor of pediatrics and of cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He also co-directs the Stem Cell Program at the university’s Moores Cancer Center.
Alysson Muotri
Associate professor
University of California, San Diego
From this contributor
With tweaks, brains in a dish may yield clear clues to autism
‘Mini-brains’ created in a dish may reveal autism’s roots and point to treatments, but they do not yet mirror some critical features of a human brain.
With tweaks, brains in a dish may yield clear clues to autism
By
Alysson Muotri
21 March 2017 | 5 min read
Questions for Alysson Muotri: Applying autism tools to Zika
Mini-brains grown from stem cells in culture can reveal the effects of both autism and the Zika virus on early development.
Questions for Alysson Muotri: Applying autism tools to Zika
By
Jessica Wright
14 June 2016 | 6 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
What a bird’s-eye view of half a million papers reveals about neuroscience
New research uses artificial-intellligence-driven bibliometrics to map the structural organization of neuroscience across 25 years. The field it reveals is at once thriving and theoretically adrift.
What a bird’s-eye view of half a million papers reveals about neuroscience
New research uses artificial-intellligence-driven bibliometrics to map the structural organization of neuroscience across 25 years. The field it reveals is at once thriving and theoretically adrift.
By
Mac Shine
6 April 2026 | 3 min read
Newly identified barrier cells seal off choroid plexus from CSF, rest of brain
A long-overlooked layer of fibroblasts exists inside the choroid plexus of mice and humans, adding complexity to the area’s compartmentalization.
Newly identified barrier cells seal off choroid plexus from CSF, rest of brain
A long-overlooked layer of fibroblasts exists inside the choroid plexus of mice and humans, adding complexity to the area’s compartmentalization.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
3 April 2026 | 4 min read
‘Digital sphinx’ raises questions about connectome models
The sphinx, with a worm’s brain and a fly’s body, illustrates the potential pitfalls of using deep-learning techniques to model biological processes.
‘Digital sphinx’ raises questions about connectome models
The sphinx, with a worm’s brain and a fly’s body, illustrates the potential pitfalls of using deep-learning techniques to model biological processes.
By
Natalia Mesa
2 April 2026 | 5 min read