My research focus is the human choroid plexus. The choroid plexus is a secretory machine that makes the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), forms the blood-CSF barrier, detoxifies harmful agents, and gates CNS immune cells. As such, the choroid plexus is a major and highly strategic interface between the body and brain with tremendous untapped potential for CNS studies and regenerative medicine applications. To tap into this potential, my lab leverages its patented technology for deriving choroid plexus epithelial cells from human pluripotent stem cells and its access to human choroid plexus samples from the UCI autopsy service and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Current approaches include developmental and disease modeling with isogenic iPSCs, single cell omics, and deep machine learning of 2D whole slide and 3D digital images. Other research activities include collaborative studies on forebrain development, brain malformations, neurodegenerations, and preclinical studies of human stem cell transplantation.