Sandra Blaess

Sandra Blaess is Professor at the Institut für Rekonstruktive Neurobiologie, Universitätsklinikum Bonn. Her Neurodevelopmental Genetics group investigates how genetic identity of neuronal subpopulations is established during development and how embryonic neuronal subtypes relate to their final location and function in the adult brain.

Research focuses on developmental mechanisms of dopaminergic neuron specification and migration, particularly in midbrain circuits. Current projects examine transcription factor networks defining dopaminergic neuron subsets and molecular guidance of neuronal migration.

Key findings include the role of BCL11A transcription factor in defining dopaminergic neuron subsets and the requirement of Reelin-mediated migration for substantia nigra organization.

• Genetic control of neuronal identity
• Midbrain dopaminergic system development
• Neuronal migration mechanisms