The Mumm lab’s research is focused on investigating the development, function, and regeneration of neurons and neural circuits. Their long-term goal is to apply what they learn from a naturally regenerative species, the zebrafish, toward the development of novel therapies for restoring neural function to patients. They place an emphasis on unique perspectives zebrafish afford to the study of biology, such as in vivo time-lapse imaging of cellular behaviors and cell-cell interactions, and high-throughput chemical and genetic screening. They have pioneered several technologies to support this work including multicolor imaging of neural circuit formation, a selective cell ablation methodology, and a quantitative high-throughput phenotypic screening platform. Together, these approaches are providing novel insights into how the degeneration and regeneration of discrete neural cell types is controlled.
