UMCUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical School · Neuroscience
Chromosome 21 and Cognitive Development Lab
Jeanne Bentley Lawrence · Worcester, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Jeanne Bentley Lawrence's lab studies how an extra copy of chromosome 21 impacts cellular processes related to Down Syndrome and early-onset Alzheimer's disease. They focus on understanding the roles of non-coding RNAs and how they contribute to cell development and brain function. The lab employs innovative methods to investigate the molecular underpinnings of these conditions, aiming to inform therapeutic strategies that may be able to correct cognitive deficits associated with Down Syndrome.
Down Syndromeearly-onset Alzheimer's diseasenon-coding RNAschromosome 21cell developmentgenome regulationepigeneticsmolecular pathologiesangiogenesisneurogenesis
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how trisomy 21 influences cellular processes and cognitive abilities.
AIM 02Identify gene pathways affected by Down Syndrome-related conditions.
AIM 03Explore the role of non-coding RNAs in chromosome structure and gene regulation.
AIM 04Develop therapeutic strategies for cognitive deficits associated with Down Syndrome.
AIM 05Examine the reversibility of cellular changes induced by trisomy 21.
Skills the Lab Values
inducible RNA silencingstem cell culturegene expression analysisimmunofluorescence microscopygenetic engineeringRNA sequencingcell differentiation assayschromatin immunoprecipitationdata analysis using Pythonorgan-on-a-chip models
Output against the department
Publications240top 30% of dept.202nd of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations22ktop 18% of dept.121st of 671
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.