University of California-Berkeley · EngineeringSchaffer Lab
David V Schaffer · Berkeley, California
Research Focus
Dr. David Schaffer's lab at UC Berkeley focuses on developing advanced gene therapy techniques specifically targeting microglia in the brain. They are working on engineering adeno-associated viral vectors to deliver therapeutic genes selectively to microglia cells, which are critically involved in various neurological disorders. Their research combines cutting-edge technologies like machine learning, single-cell sequencing, and viral engineering to create targeted treatments that may help manage conditions like Alzheimer's and autism.
gene therapymicrogliaAAV vectorsneurodegenerative disordersmachine learningsingle-cell sequencingneuroscienceviral engineeringneurodevelopmental disorderstherapeutic delivery
Research Aims
5AIM 01Develop adeno-associated viral vectors for targeted gene delivery to microglia.
AIM 02Integrate machine learning with viral engineering to enhance specificity of gene therapy.
AIM 03Utilize single-cell sequencing to analyze gene expression in microglia.
AIM 04Create a platform for testing therapeutic gene cargoes in non-human primate models.
AIM 05Investigate the role of immune signaling in microglial function in health and disease.
Skills the Lab Values
PCRcell cultureviral vector designmachine learningnext-generation sequencingmolecular barcodinganimal modelsdata analysisbioinformaticstissue engineering
Output against the department
Publications417top 16% of dept.44th of 278
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations28ktop 12% of dept.33rd of 278
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.