Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Chenfeng He, PhD, research scientist at the Waisman Center, was recently awarded a Young Investigator Grant from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF). The one-year grant is intended to support early-career researchers in continuing to develop their own lines of research. He, a scientist in the lab of Waisman investigator Daifeng Wang, PhD, will …
Research funding that supports early-stage ideas plays a critical role in advancing scientific discovery. A new National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awarded to Waisman investigator André Sousa, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience at the UW–Madison, demonstrates how strategic seed funding can lay the groundwork for transformative research. Sousa recently received a five-year multimillion-dollar grant …
Training the next generation of researchers, clinicians, professionals, and advocates is central to the Waisman Center’s mission of improving the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families. A key part of that effort is the Wisconsin Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (WI LEND) program, housed within the Waisman’s University Center for Excellence …
A newly funded project will combine the expertise of four Waisman Center investigators to develop advanced machine learning methods for studying brain organoids, three-dimensional cell clusters grown from stem cells that closely mimic key aspects of human brain development.
A new research study at the Waisman Center has been funded by the Eagles Autism Foundation to develop a precise, safe, and broadly applicable method for correcting a single-gene mutation associated with symptoms of autism spectrum disorders including learning deficits, anxiety, depression, and reduced social interactions.
The Waisman Center celebrates the selection of Xinyu Zhao, PhD, a principal investigator renowned for her work in neural stem cells and neurodevelopment, as one of the esteemed recipients of a 2025 Eagles Autism Foundation research grant.
Researchers at the Waisman Center’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) were recently awarded a grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to support research to improve the health and well-being of children and youth with autism.
A new study from researchers at the Waisman Center and The Ohio State University will investigate aging in autistic adults.
The Morse Society, a group of Waisman graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, is getting a surprisingly early financial boost from its founders. Founded by Dick Morse, MD, a UW alum and retired child psychiatrist, and his lifelong partner, Lawrence M. Connor, MSW, a retired social worker, the Morse Society is focused on training and research in childhood mental health and developmental disabilities.
A team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is part of a new multi-institution effort to better understand Alzheimer’s disease in adults with Down syndrome. Adults with Down syndrome are at high risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease beginning in their late 40s, because of their unique biology. The vast majority will eventually develop the …
