University of California-Davis · BiochemistryThe Gene Nexus Lab
Megan Y Dennis · Davis, California
Research Focus
Megan Y Dennis's lab at UC Davis focuses on understanding how human gene duplications influence neurodevelopment and are linked to various neurological disorders. Their research employs innovative techniques like CRISPR and utilizes zebrafish as a model organism to study the effects of duplicated genes on brain development. Additionally, the lab is developing improved computational approaches to identify genetic variants associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly in complex regions of the human genome.
gene duplicationneurodevelopmentzebrafishCRISPRautism spectrum disorderbioinformaticshuman geneticsgenetic screeningneurological disorders
Research Aims
5AIM 01Identify the roles of duplicated genes in human neurodevelopment.
AIM 02Test the effects of specific gene knockouts using CRISPR in zebrafish.
AIM 03Develop improved bioinformatic methods to analyze complex genomic regions.
AIM 04Screen for genetic variants in populations affected by autism spectrum disorder.
AIM 05Explore the evolutionary implications of gene duplications in humans.
Skills the Lab Values
CRISPRzebrafish modelsbioinformaticsgenetic screeningRNA sequencingmolecular cloningcell culturedata analysismorphological assessment
Output against the department
Publications112bottom 28% of dept.288th of 402
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations12ktop 43% of dept.174th of 402
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.