Polyxeni Philippidou

Polyxeni (Pola) Philippidou, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine. She holds the Weidenthal Family Designated Professorship in Career Development and directs the Neurosciences PhD Program. Her research focuses on molecular mechanisms governing neural circuit assembly, particularly respiratory motor neuron development and Hox gene functions.

Education: PhD in Neurobiology & Behavior from Stony Brook University (2009), Postdoctoral Fellowship at New York University Medical Center (2015).

Research Interests: Investigates how Hox5 genes regulate phrenic motor neuron identity, synaptic specificity in respiratory circuits, and environmental influences on circuit formation. Combines molecular genetics, viral tracing, electrophysiology, and physiological assays to study neuronal identity and connectivity.

Lab Activities: Actively recruiting graduate students and researchers. Current projects explore transcriptional control of respiratory circuits, environmental signal integration with genetic programs, and therapeutic potential for respiratory disorders like ALS and Rett Syndrome.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Philippidou Lab at CWRU, focusing on neural circuit assembly and respiratory dysfunction mechanisms.