We study the biological basis of neural development
with the goal of better understanding autism spectrum disorders.
Image Courtesy of Lauren Orefice. Peripheral somatosensory neurons and glia
About Us
The Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research at Harvard University was launched in 2019, with the aim of better understanding the neurobiological basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is led by Michael E. Greenberg, Chair of the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Harvard Brain Science Initiative.
Our Scientists
The Tan-Yang Center leverages talent from different parts of the Harvard community—uniting scientists at Harvard Medical School, the undergraduate campus in Cambridge and our affiliated hospitals—all of whom have a deep knowledge of the biological basis of brain development and function and are investigating how these processes might be altered in ASD.
Research Projects
Currently configured in two teams with four laboratories each, our researchers are probing the molecular and circuit-level basis of ASD—with one team focused on genetic variations linked to autism and their impact on brain development, and the other on sensory experiences that shape social behaviors relevant to autism.
We are partnered with the Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research at MIT.
