Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
We're delighted to share a video highlighting many of the strides we have made over the past year. Your generous and thoughtful contributions help us continue to pioneer research and expand clinical services that benefit individuals and families impacted by developmental disabilities and neurodegenerative diseases. Together we are transforming lives and building brighter futures—without you, it just wouldn’t be possible.
Diagnosed with autism when he was five years old, Giizhik learned to draw before he learned to speak. He poured his energy into turning the cartoons that fascinated him into a world of his own artwork. - See more at: http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/news2016-Holiday-Cards.htm#sthash.tjq3cpUt.dpuf
Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, often have significant delays with expanding their vocabularies and other language skills compared to typically developing children. Yet, “we know very little about [language] processing in [children with ASD] or the mechanisms underlying it,” says Susan Ellis Weismer, a professor of communication sciences and disorders at UW-Madison …
A new legacy gift will help researchers and clinicians at the Waisman Center continue to search for ways to benefit individuals and families whose lives have been impacted by brain injuries and developmental disabilities. This significant gift comes from Richard and Johanna Stocker, who recently made the decision to include the Waisman Center in their …
Leaders of the University of Wisconsin–Madison lab that first transformed human stem cells into brain cells have started a company that produces and sells specialized neurons to drug researchers. BrainXell develops neurons from stem cells in its Madison lab, then freezes them for shipment. Once thawed in the customer’s lab, the cells undergo a final …
What do Night Owl Support Systems, the Trace Center, the Center for Healthy Minds, and Stratatech all have in common? The Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Over the years, the Waisman Center has catalyzed the inception or growth of many unique programs. Several of these have developed into independent centers or companies with …
What better way to spend a crisp fall day than to go on a three mile walk with your 6, 4 and 1-year old children AND raise funds to benefit individuals and families affected by developmental disabilities and neurodegenerative diseases? That’s what Jessica and Kasey Feiner thought when they signed up for the first annual …
Waisman Center researchers Anita Bhattacharyya and Xinyu Zhao are looking to make stem cells glow. That glow will tell them that they have successfully turned on a gene that is usually turned off in individuals with fragile X syndrome. Turning on this gene – called FMR1 – could be an important way to treat this …
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found a switch that redirects helper cells in the peripheral nervous system into “repair” mode, a form that restores damaged axons. Axons are long fibers on neurons that transmit nerve impulses. The peripheral nervous system, the signaling network outside the brain and spinal cord, has some ability to …
In their photographs, Jenni and Kyle Geurkink look like happy, healthy children. Jenni has a captivating smile and a twinkle in her eyes. Kyle is a sturdy toddler who loves brooms, mops and any occasion to laugh. First Christmases, first birthdays, first playtimes with cousins—these are just a few of the images of Jenni and …
