Biography

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Thomas Durcan, PhD has been at the Montreal Neurological Institute (The Neuro) since 2007. As an Associate Professor at The Neuro and McGill University (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuO2IKE4JME), his research focus is on applying patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) towards the development of phenotypic discovery assays and 3D mini-brain models (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjOS_trumik) for both neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders.

As Director of the EDDU at The Neuro, he oversees a team of over 40 research staff and students, committed to applying novel stem cell technology, combined with CRISPR genome editing, mini-brain models and new microfluidic technologies towards elucidating the underlying causes of these complex disorders. Combined with new approaches in the group towards building multi-omics profiles on the patient-derived IPSC cells, the long-term strategy is to identify new personalized precision therapies. Dr. Durcan's academic research program is funded by a CIHR program grant and USA Department of Defense Research grants.