Welcome to the Deniz Lab

Our research focuses on congenital hydrocephalus and the genes that could cause these anomalies. We look at brain ventricle size for aqueductal stenosis (blockage of the ventricles) or ventriculomegaly (excessive expansion due to CSF fluid build up), CSF flow, and cilia. We use the embryos of the Xenopus tropicalis frog model to inject CRISPR and morpholinos to knockdown the function of a candidate congenital gene. With the help of Optical Coherence Tomography, pioneered in frog by Engin Deniz, we image the in-situ living brains for structural features, CSF flow, and cilia structure and motility.

We collaborate with other labs using Xenopus tropicalis. If you are interested in discussing a collaboration, please reach out to the contact below or on our “Contact” tab.

Thank You!