John Moran

John Moran is a Professor in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Michigan, focusing on genetic mutations, somatic mosaicism, and neurodevelopmental disorders. His work bridges molecular biology and neurogenetics, with key contributions to understanding schizophrenia origins in prenatal brain development.

• Key Collaborations: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital
• Research Themes: LINE-1 retrotransposons, Alu elements, somatic copy-number variants (sCNVs), and their role in disease etiology

Research Focus: Dr. Moran’s research explores how non-inherited genetic mutations during embryonic development contribute to schizophrenia. He has pioneered methods like DeepMosaic for variant detection and analyzed single-cell genomic data to map mutation patterns in neurons. His work highlights NRXN1 and ABCB11 as disrupted genes in schizophrenia cases.

Publication Trends: Recent articles emphasize somatic mosaicism in neuropsychiatric diseases, L1 retrotransposition in human cells, and genomic data resources for the Brain Somatic Mosaicism Network. Collaborations with institutions like Mass General Psychiatry and Physician's Weekly reflect interdisciplinary impact.

Key Grants & Programs: Involved in the Allen Discovery Center and led projects like Comprehensive Genomic Datasets in BSMN. His team’s pandemic-era research on single-neuron genomes revealed non-random CNV patterns in neurotypical individuals.

Labs & Teams: Leads a lab at the University of Michigan, collaborating with researchers such as Chris Walsh, Ryan Mills, and Edward Maury. His work intersects with the Brain Somatic Mosaicism Network, advancing tools for ultra-deep genome sequencing and mosaicism analysis.