Meet our Investigators: Meenakshi Rao, MD, PhD

As a burgeoning physician-scientist entering graduate school I was fascinated by the inherent problem presented by developmental biology, how a simple collection of cells gives rise to complex structures, a problem that seemed particularly challenging in the nervous system. For my thesis work, I explored how retinoids, powerful signals generated from vitamin A in the diet, influenced the development and specification of motor neurons in the spinal cord.  I was struck by how even brief periods of nutrient or other deprivation could have such lasting consequences for the nervous system.