The Aldinger lab is located in the Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research at Seattle Children's Research Institute.

Genomic testing is increasingly common in pediatric medicine. However, our ability to diagnose and treat genetic conditions is constrained by our current understanding of the functional impact of these changes to molecular and cellular pathways that could be targeted for treatment. Our group investigates the genetic and cellular mechanisms that govern human neurodevelopment to understand how specific genomic variants lead to pediatric neurological diseases. By bridging the gap between genetic discovery and developmental biology, we aim to identify actionable molecular pathways and accelerate the development of targeted therapies for children with rare genetic conditions.

Our research projects aim to address the following questions: 1) What are the molecular and cellular changes associated with neurodevelopmental conditions; 2) Where, when, and how do variants in neurodevelopmental disorder genes derail brain development; and 3) Can we develop assays to test existing and new treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders?