Neurodevelopmental Disorders

This book contains a compendium of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) articles and reviews concerning state of the art technologies and how they are being applied to human neurodevelopmental disorders. With the establishment of effective technologies to produce iPSCs and their derivatives, like neural precursors, neurons, and glia, researchers have new platforms to study neurodevelopmental disorders. iPSC technology enables researchers to study how human neurons develop in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, providing an unparalleled opportunity to investigate their etiology. In turn, researchers have now begun to understand the underlying molecular and cellular pathways that contribute to human diseases. iPSCs technologies also provide an emerging tool for future translational studies and disease classification. The chapters will emphasize how among the diverse idiopathic and genetic disorders, there are common clinical as well as cellular andmolecular phenotypes.

James H. Millonig Ph.D. is associate professor in the department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology and resident member in the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School-Rutgers University.
Dr. Millonig graduated from The University of Rochester magna cum laude with a B.S. in Biochemistry. After college he received a M.Sc. degree from Oxford University, University College studying B subtilis sporulation. Dr. Millonig matriculated in the Princeton University Molecular Biology PhD program and performed his thesis research in the lab of Shirley Tilghman Ph.D., President emerita of Princeton University. During his PhD, he was trained in genetics, mouse development, and molecular biology. Subsequent post-doctoral research, using mouse genetic approaches to study cerebellar development, was performed in Mary E. Hatten's laboratory at The Rockefeller University. He joined the faculty at Rutgers in 1999.
Dr. Millonig has studied CNS development throughout his career applying molecular genetic approaches to understand basic mechanisms and disease. His work in collaboration with Emanuel DiCicco-Bloom M.D. and Linda Brzustowicz M.D. demonstrated genetic association of ENGRAILED2 (EN2) with autism spectrum disorder and defined autism-like behaviors in mouse models thatcould be reversed by pharmacological treatment. His lab also identified the orphan GPCR, Gpr161, as an unknown, important regulator of neural tube closure and lens development. Forward mouse genetic approaches demonstrated that Gpr161 functions through the retinoic acid (RA) pathway. His lab is currently studying rare human mutations in the RA metabolic pathway and Gpr161 and their impact on development. More recently, Dr. Millonig and Dr. DiCicco-Bloom have applied iPSC-based approaches to study idiopathic and 16p11.2 Deletion Syndrome. They have defined neurodevelopmental phenotypes in culture and are applying numerous omic strategies to define the downstream signaling and cell biological pathways affected in autism. He is the recipient of many research awards including Basil O'Connor Starter Research Award, NARSAD Young Investigator Award, and the Thomas A Edison Patent Award for medical diagnostics. He has over 100 abstracts, papers, and grants related to autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. He has been an active reviewer for many scientific journals including Molecular Psychiatry, Translational Psychiatry, and eLife. For the NIH, he has been an ad hoc member of Clinical Neuroplasticity and Neurotransmitters and Genetics of Health and Disease, was a standing member of the NIH Developmental Brain Disorders Study Section (2010-16) and has also contributed to NIH Loan Repayment Program, BRAIN, and NIH Director's Early Independence Awards initiatives.
He is currently the Director of the Rutgers-RWJMS-Princeton University MD/PhD program and is senior associate dean in the Rutgers School of Graduate Studies. He was co-PI on an NIH Director's Fund Broadening Experiences Scientific Training (BEST) training grant. In these roles, Dr. Millonig has developed numerous educational initiatives including the BEST program called iJOBS, which includes all Rutgers campuses across NJ that has reached 836 trainees or 16,258 person hours in 4 years.