The Cristancho lab is at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Neurology and Department of Pediatrics. We are interested in understanding the epigenetic mechanisms driving long-term neurodevelopmental disabilities from acquired prenatal and perinatal brain injury.

Prenatal and perinatal brain injuries, including prenatal hypoxia, are among the most common causes of neurodevelopmental disabilities worldwide, ranging from developmental delays, autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and learning disabilities. However, despite their prevalence, we have almost no directed therapies for these disorders. Part of the challenge is that these injuries are variable in what causes them, how long the insult lasts, and lead to a wide variety of disabilities in affected children.

As a matter of equity, we are committed to training the next generation of innovators from diverse backgrounds to study these common insults and develop widely available therapeutics for these lifelong brain injuries, which have worse outcomes due to the biological consequences of non-biological factors like race and socioeconomic status. With support from the NIH (NINDS K08) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development program, our goal is to combine cutting-edge molecular biology techniques with translational and clinically relevant preclinical models and diagnostic modalities to develop novel therapeutic strategies that will improve the lives of affected children and their families.