The Qian Lab

Our Research

The Qian Lab investigates the development and disorders of the human cerebral cortex, the brain’s most evolutionarily advanced and disease-vulnerable region. To overcome the limitations of traditional models, the lab integrates human-based approaches, including brain organoid models, spatial omics technologies, and human genetics, to uncover the cellular and molecular programs that shape cortical development.

Ongoing Projects

• Building a spatially resolved developmental atlas of the human cerebral cortex
• Applying spatial omics to uncover pathological mechanisms in neurodevelopmental disorders
• Developing advanced human pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids that recapitulate specific cortical areas
• Modeling neurodevelopmental diseases in organoids derived from patient iPSC lines or genetically engineered cells
• Studying the specification of neuronal subtypes in human organoids upon transplantation into animal brains

Through this work, the Qian Lab aims to decode the mechanisms of neuronal subtype specification and to uncover how these processes go awry in disorders such as malformations of cortical development (MCD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Ultimately, the lab seeks to lay a foundation for therapeutic strategies grounded in human biology.

Research Highlights

• Decoding human cortical development using spatial transcriptomics. (Qian, Coleman, Jiang, et al., Nature, 2025)
• Development of brain organoid technologies. (Qian, et al., Cell Stem Cell, 2020; Qian, Jacob, et al., Nature Protocols, 2018; Qian, Nguyen, et al., Cell 2016)
• Study of novel genes and their variants involved in brain development and disorders. (Qian, DeGennaro, et al., Developmental Cell, 2022)
• Mechanisms underlying Congenital Zika Syndrome. (Qian et al., Development, 2016; Qian, Nguyen, et al., Cell 2016; Tang et al., Cell Stem Cell 2016)