Dr Asami Oguro-Ando

About me:

Dr. Oguro-Ando has been interested in life science since she was a child, especially, how lives play rolls in plasticity to the environment. For her interest, she took the basic science course in my bachelor and studied fundamental physics and biology, before studying for an MSc and PhD in the Molecular chaperone and protein degradation at the University of Tokyo, Health Science and Physiology. As she was finishing her PhD thesis, Neuropsychiatric disorders were fascinating to her that there were many genes characterized and few animal models established, but still, it is unclear. She was exhilarated by the potential for growth in the field and spent four years at Prof. Daniel Geschwind lab (UCLA) in US for her first posdoc, next three years at Prof. Peter Burbach lab (UMC Utrecht) in the Netherlands for her second posdoc to develop her specificities of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research and joined in University of Exeter medical school in 2016.

Current Awards

• 2009 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories Course Scholarship award, NY, USA
• 2010 Keystone Symposia Scholarship award, Utah, USA
• 2016 FENS satellite meeting travel award, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2018 University of Exeter Above and Beyond Award for Collaboration, University of Exeter, UK
• 2018 Selected as a member for Aurora Leadership programme for women
• 2019 University of Exeter Above and Beyond Award for Challenge, University of Exeter, UK
• 2020 Exeter's Teaching Awards, outstanding pastoral support nominated, University of Exeter, UK
• 2020 University of Exeter Above and Beyond Award for Challenge, University of Exeter, UK

Interests:

Asami’s group research aim is to further our understanding of the molecules, cells and circuits that underlie neurodevelopmental disorders affecting mental health including Autism is critical for developing more effective therapies for these disorders.

Genomics data has recently revealed causal relationships between specific genetic variation and risk for neuropsychiatric disease. However, there still remains a missing link tying genetic variation to changes at the molecular, cellular, and systems biology and behavior levels. My goal is to provide this “missing link” by using both high-throughput rodents model methodologies and experimental validation of their predictions in order to clarify how genetic risk factors exert their mechanistic influence on human behavior. My new research group has focused not only on discovering psychiatric disease-related genetic variation, but also on using model systems to uncover the biological mechanisms that underlie these associations.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D Life Science (University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan)

Career:

2016- Lecturer, University of Exeter Medical School

2014-2016 JSPS postdoctoral fellow in abroad, UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands

2013-2014 Canon foundation postdoctoral fellow, UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands

2012-2013 Postdoctoral researcher, UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands

2011-2012 Postdoctoral researcher, UCLA, USA

2010-2011 Uehara life science foundation Postdoctoral fellow, UCLA, USA

2008-2010 JSPS postdoctoral fellow, UCLA, USA