Dr. Ben Deneen’s lab focuses on developmental gliogenesis, glial control of brain circuit function, and the application of these processes to glial-based diseases of the central nervous system, including malignant glioma and white matter disorders. His work is helping to explain the distinct functions of glial cells in different brain regions, and the myriad roles of these critical cells in normal and aberrant brain function.
Most recently his research has focused on the function of glial cells in the context of cancer, brain function, and in injury. He has shown how brain tumors rewire neural circuits leading to brain hyperactivity, which in turn promotes malignant progression. This work uncovered previously unknown crosstalk between brain tumors and normal neural tissue, suggesting new therapeutic approaches.
Additional work showed that a type of glial cell called an astrocyte has selective functions in different brain regions, and that a specialized subset of these astrocytes affects learning and memory. His lab also showed that astrocytes in different brain regions have distinct responses to injury.
Over the past three years, his research efforts in these areas have produced twelve senior author research articles in high-impact journals including Nature, Neuron, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Cancer Discovery and Nature Neuroscience, among others.