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Stanford Medicine

A leader in the biomedical revolution, Stanford Medicine has a long tradition of leadership in pioneering research, creative teaching protocols and effective clinical therapies.

Our close proximity to the resources of the university — including the Schools of Business, Law, Humanities and Sciences, and Engineering, our seamless relationship with our affiliated adult and children’s hospitals, and our ongoing associations with the entrepreneurial endeavors of Silicon Valley, make us uniquely positioned to accelerate the pace at which new knowledge is translated into tangible health benefits.

Anne Brunet
Michele and Timothy Barakett Professor of Genetics
Stanford Medicine
Karl Deisseroth
D.H. Chen Professor of Bioengineering and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Stanford Medicine
Tony Wyss-Coray
D. H. Chen Professor II
Stanford Medicine
January 31, 2024
Karl Deisseroth, Brain-Wide Dynamics project featured in NOMIS Insight film
The NOMIS Foundation has released its third Insight film, which features 2017 NOMIS Awardee Karl Deisseroth and depicts the journey of his recently concluded NOMIS research project, Discovering the Causal Principles Underlying Brain-Wide […]
January 8, 2024
Can this fish help stop aging?
NOMIS Awardee Anne Brunet’s groundbreaking research into aging was featured in an article in Switzerland’s Tagesanzeiger. Brunet and her lab have pioneered the naturally short-lived African killifish as a promising […]
January 2, 2024
NOMIS Award: Creating new sparks in science
The NOMIS Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award is the topic of a recently published advertorial in Science. The 2023 NOMIS Awardees, Anne Brunet and David Autor, explain how the NOMIS […]
December 4, 2023
NOMIS Insight film features Tony Wyss-Coray, Brain Rejuvenation project
Marking the completion of the Brain Rejuvenation Factors From Blood project, the NOMIS Foundation has released an Insight film featuring NOMIS Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray. Created in collaboration with Vollformat, the […]
October 24, 2023
Trailblazing scientists presented with 2023 NOMIS Award
The NOMIS Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award, which recognizes pioneering researchers for their exceptional contributions to science, was presented to David Autor of MIT and Anne Brunet of Stanford University […]
May 23, 2023
NOMIS announces recipients of 2023 Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award
The NOMIS Foundation is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2023 NOMIS Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award—congratulations to David Autor, an economist at MIT, and Anne Brunet, a cell […]
March 1, 2023
A racing heart drives anxiety behavior in mice
NOMIS Awardee Karl Deisseroth and colleagues have found that when they increased heart rates in mice, the animals showed more anxious behavior. Their research was published in Nature. Using pulses […]
February 5, 2023
Karl Deisseroth awarded 2023 Japan Prize
NOMIS Awardee Karl Deisseroth has been awarded the 2023 Japan Prize in the field of life sciences. The Japan Prize Foundation announced the winners of the 2023 Japan Prize on […]
December 23, 2022
New immune culprit discovered in Alzheimer's disease
A new study by scientist David Gate, NOMIS Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray and their colleagues has found that cerebrospinal fluid, the brain’s immune system, becomes dysregulated as we age and plays […]
May 25, 2022
Karl Deisseroth and Didier Fassin elected to American Philosophical Society
NOMIS Awardees Karl Deisseroth and Didier Fassin have been elected to the prestigious American Philosophical Society. The American Philosophical Society Welcomes New Members for 2022 The American Philosophical Society is […]
May 11, 2022
Young brain fluid improves memory in old mice
NOMIS Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray and colleagues have discovered that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from young mice can improve memory function in older mice. Their work was published in Nature on May […]
April 26, 2022
Stanford's new initiative on brain resilience to be led by Tony Wyss-Coray
NOMIS Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray will lead a new Stanford University initiative on brain resilience, which will study the causes of cognitive decline – what may be done to prevent, delay, […]
February 15, 2022
Molecular map of the human blood–brain barrier reveals links to Alzheimer’s disease
NOMIS Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray, Andrew Yang and colleagues have identified a method for isolating and analyzing the elusive cells of the blood–brain barrier to map the expression of genes in […]
December 10, 2021
Exercise plasma boosts memory and dampens brain inflammation via clusterin
NOMIS Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray and colleagues have shown that blood from young adult mice that are getting lots of exercise benefits the brains of same-aged, sedentary mice. A single protein […]
June 21, 2021
Stanford researchers find signs of inflammation in brains of people who died of COVID-19
In a detailed molecular analysis of tissue from the brains of individuals who died of COVID-19, NOMIS Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray and colleagues discovered extensive signs of inflammation and neurodegeneration, but […]
June 14, 2021
Neuroscientist Karl Deisseroth: "Coronavirus has changed us all"
NOMIS Awardee Karl Deisseroth talks about the path that led him to neuroscience and to the discovery of optogenetics, as well as the effect of the pandemic on mental health, […]
January 25, 2021
Lingering neurological symptoms long after COVID-19
Preprint work by Andrew Yang at the laboratory of NOMIS Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray suggests that the brain undergoes widespread changes in the wake of COVID-19 that could contribute to neurological […]
December 14, 2020
Karl Deisseroth and colleagues develop new tool for watching and controlling neural activity
NOMIS Awardee Karl Deisseroth and colleague Alice Ting, together with their research teams, have developed a molecular probe that could lead to a better understanding of the cellular basis of […]
October 25, 2020
Tony Wyss-Coray: Providing a molecular framework to understand COVID-19 related neurological disease
NOMIS Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray and colleagues have published research results that shed light on COVID-19 related neurological disease. The article, “Broad transcriptional dysregulation of brain and choroid plexus cell types […]
October 24, 2020
Karl Deisseroth: No implants needed for precise control deep into the brain
NOMIS Awardee Karl Deisseroth and colleagues have demonstrated behavioral modulation without surgery, enabling implant-free deep brain optogenetics. The research was published on Oct. 5, 2020, in Nature Biotechnology. Optogenetics can […]
September 17, 2020
Karl Deisseroth and colleagues pinpoint brain circuitry underlying dissociative experiences
NOMIS Awardee Karl Deisseroth is among several Stanford scientists to identify key brain circuitry that plays a role in the mysterious experience called dissociation, in which people can feel disconnected […]
January 10, 2020
An immune-cell signature marks the brain in Alzheimer’s disease
A subpopulation of adaptive immune cells patrols the brain and cerebrospinal fluid in people who have Alzheimer’s disease. This discovery should broaden our understanding of how the immune system can […]
December 5, 2019
NOMIS Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray and fellow Stanford scientists reliably predict people’s age by measuring proteins in blood
Protein levels in people’s blood can predict their age, a Stanford study has found. The study also found that aging isn’t a smoothly continuous process. The carnival worker who tries […]
February 15, 2019
NOMIS awardee Karl Deisseroth elected to the National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering has announced today that Karl Deisseroth, the D. H. Chen Professor of Bioengineering and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, will be one of their newly elected members. […]
January 1, 2019
Tony Wyss-Coray's research highlighted in New Scientist article "Young people’s blood is being tested as a treatment for Parkinson’s"
Blood from young adults is being trialled as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease by a firm that wants to use the therapy to target neurodegenerative conditions. Alkahest, a firm co-founded […]
November 10, 2018
NOMIS awardee Wyss-Coray and Salk Institute, a NOMIS partner, selected to lead studies on brain aging, better treatments for neurodegenerative diseases
Three new large-scale, multidisciplinary research teams have just been assembled to answer questions related to the aging brain and Alzheimer’s disease. Today, the American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary […]
October 22, 2018
Tony Wyss-Coray publishes paper in Nature describing Tabula Muris research
NOMIS Distinguished Scientist Tony Wyss-Coray has, together with a team of researchers from Stanford Medicine, UCSF Medical School and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, published a Tabula Muris, a single-cell atlas […]
October 19, 2018
Tony Wyss-Coray named one of TIME's 50 most influential people in health care
NOMIS Distinguished Scientist Awardee Tony Wyss-Coray has been named to TIME magazine’s inaugural “Health Care 50” list, highlighting the top 50 people behind the extraordinary innovation in health care in the United […]
October 4, 2018
Tony Wyss-Coray publishes paper in Nature describing Tabula Muris research
NOMIS Distinguished Scientist Tony Wyss-Coray has, together with a team of researchers from Stanford Medicine, UCSF Medical School and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, published a Tabula Muris, a single-cell atlas […]
October 3, 2018
Tony Wyss-Coray publishes public resource of mouse cell types and their gene expression patterns
NOMIS Distinguished Scientist Tony Wyss-Coray, in collaboration with researchers from Stanford Medicine, the UCSF School of Medicine and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, has published Tabula Muris, a single-cell atlas of […]
June 16, 2018
Karl Deisseroth awarded 2018 Kyoto Prize
Karl Deisseroth has been awarded the 2018 Kyoto Prize in the category of Advanced Technology for the discovery of optogenetics and development of causal systems neuroscience. He developed an biological […]
February 16, 2018
SRF: "The fight against forgetting"
NOMIS Distinguished Scientist Tony Wyss-Coray appeared on the Swiss television program, Einstein, which aired on Feb. 15, 2018. The story, “Kampf gegen das Vergessen” (“The fight against forgetting”), addresses the crippling effects […]
November 30, 2017
NZZ: "On the trail of the fountain of youth"
Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) has published an article about the groundbreaking research of NOMIS Distinguished Scientist Tony Wyss-Coray, professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University. Wyss-Coray’s research has shown […]
October 28, 2017
Tages Anzeiger: "The cerebral man"
Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger published an article about NOMIS Distinguished Scientist awardee Karl Deisseroth. Titled “The cerebral man” (translated from the original German “Der Kopfmensch”), the article details Deisseroth’s significant […]
October 26, 2017
NOMIS celebrates its Distinguished Scientist Award 2017 winners
Karl Deisseroth, Tony Wyss-Coray and Svante Pääbo Recognizing not only scientific excellence, but also celebrating researchers who push for unconventional paths and show exceptional engagement in insight-driven research and collaboration, […]
October 25, 2017
Photo gallery
NOMIS Distinguished Scientist Award 2017
July 20, 2017
NOMIS Awardee Karl Deisseroth wins 4 million euro Fresenius Research Prize
NOMIS Awardee Karl Deisseroth, Stanford psychiatrist, neuroscientist and bioengineer, has won the Else Kröner Fresenius Preis für Medizinische Forschung 2017. The prize — world’s most valuable prize for scientific achievement […]
January 15, 2017
“… to succeed in science ... you have to possess the will to tackle something that is bigger than you”
Tony Wyss-Coray’s research could revolutionize the way we think about aging and the way we treat age-related diseases. His most recent studies have shown that circulatory factors can modulate neurogenesis, […]
December 19, 2016
Tages-Anzeiger: “The rejuvenation researcher”
The Swiss newspaper, Tages-Anzeiger, has published an article about the work of NOMIS Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award winner Tony Wyss-Coray. The article, published in German (“Der Verjüngungsforscher”), discusses Wyss-Coray’s […]
December 22, 2022
Cerebrospinal fluid immune dysregulation during healthy brain aging and cognitive impairment
Abstract: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contains a tightly regulated immune system. However, knowledge is lacking about how CSF immunity is altered with aging or neurodegenerative disease. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing […]
December 1, 2022
Methods to investigate intrathecal adaptive immunity in neurodegeneration
Abstract: Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) provides basic mechanical and immunological protection to the brain. Historically, analysis of CSF has focused on protein changes, yet recent studies have shed light on cellular […]
November 1, 2022
Multiregion neuronal activity: the forest and the trees
Abstract: The past decade has witnessed remarkable advances in the simultaneous measurement of neuronal activity across many brain regions, enabling fundamentally new explorations of the brain-spanning cellular dynamics that underlie sensation, […]
May 19, 2022
Young CSF restores oligodendrogenesis and memory in aged mice via Fgf17
Abstract: Recent understanding of how the systemic environment shapes the brain throughout life has led to numerous intervention strategies to slow brain ageing1–3. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) makes up the immediate environment […]
May 1, 2022
Limited proteolysis–mass spectrometry reveals aging-associated changes in cerebrospinal fluid protein abundances and structures
Abstract: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins and their structures have been implicated in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study, we used limited proteolysis–mass spectrometry (LiP–MS) to screen for new aging-associated […]
March 31, 2022
A human brain vascular atlas reveals diverse mediators of Alzheimer’s risk
Abstract: The human brain vasculature is of great medical importance: its dysfunction causes disability and death1, and the specialized structure it forms—the blood–brain barrier—impedes the treatment of nearly all brain disorders2,3. […]
February 17, 2022
Structural basis for channel conduction in the pump-like channelrhodopsin ChRmine
Abstract: ChRmine, a recently discovered pump-like cation-conducting channelrhodopsin, exhibits puzzling properties (large photocurrents, red-shifted spectrum, and extreme light sensitivity) that have created new opportunities in optogenetics. ChRmine and its homologs function […]
December 1, 2021
Clonally expanded CD8 T cells patrol the cerebrospinal fluid in Alzheimer’s disease
Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder in which neuroinflammation has a critical function1. However, little is known about the contribution of the adaptive immune response in Alzheimer’s disease2. Here, […]
November 12, 2021
CD4+ T cells contribute to neurodegeneration in Lewy body dementia
Abstract: Recent studies indicate that the adaptive immune system plays a role in Lewy body dementia (LBD). However, the mechanism regulating T cell brain homing in LBD is unknown. Here, we […]
July 22, 2021
Dysregulation of brain and choroid plexus cell types in severe COVID-19
Abstract: Although SARS-CoV-2 primarily targets the respiratory system, patients with and survivors of COVID-19 can suffer neurological symptoms1–3. However, an unbiased understanding of the cellular and molecular processes that are affected […]
April 19, 2021
Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Advances in Optogenetics, Ethical Issues Affecting DBS Research, Neuromodulatory Approaches for Depression, Adaptive Neurostimulation, and Emerging DBS Technologies
Abstract: We estimate that 208,000 deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices have been implanted to address neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders worldwide. DBS Think Tank presenters pooled data and determined that DBS expanded […]
February 1, 2021
Deep brain optogenetics without intracranial surgery
Abstract: Achieving temporally precise, noninvasive control over specific neural cell types in the deep brain would advance the study of nervous system function. Here we use the potent channelrhodopsin ChRmine to […]
February 1, 2021
A neuronal blood marker is associated with mortality in old age
Abstract: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) has emerged as a promising blood biomarker for the progression of various neurological diseases. NfL is a structural protein of nerve cells, and elevated NfL levels […]
December 23, 2020
A Molecular Calcium Integrator Reveals a Striatal Cell Type Driving Aversion
Abstract: The ability to record transient cellular events in the DNA or RNA of cells would enable precise, large-scale analysis, selection, and reprogramming of heterogeneous cell populations. Here, we report a […]
November 1, 2020
Data mining of human plasma proteins generates a multitude of highly predictive aging clocks that reflect different aspects of aging
Abstract: We previously identified 529 proteins that had been reported by multiple different studies to change their expression level with age in human plasma. In the present study, we measured the […]
October 1, 2020
Deep posteromedial cortical rhythm in dissociation
Abstract: Advanced imaging methods now allow cell-type-specific recording of neural activity across the mammalian brain, potentially enabling the exploration of how brain-wide dynamical patterns give rise to complex behavioural states1–12. Dissociation […]
August 1, 2020
Multiple convergent hypothalamus–brainstem circuits drive defensive behavior
Abstract: The hypothalamus is composed of many neuropeptidergic cell populations and directs multiple survival behaviors, including defensive responses to threats. However, the relationship between the peptidergic identity of neurons and their […]
July 1, 2020
Systematic review and analysis of human proteomics aging studies unveils a novel proteomic aging clock and identifies key processes that change with age
Abstract: The development of clinical interventions that significantly improve human healthspan requires robust markers of biological age as well as thoughtful therapeutic targets. To promote these goals, we performed a systematic […]
February 1, 2020
Systemic factors as mediators of brain homeostasis, ageing and neurodegeneration
Abstract: A rapidly ageing population and a limited therapeutic toolbox urgently necessitate new approaches to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Brain ageing, the key risk factor for neurodegeneration, involves complex cellular and molecular […]
February 1, 2020
Lipid-droplet-accumulating microglia represent a dysfunctional and proinflammatory state in the aging brain
Abstract: Microglia become progressively activated and seemingly dysfunctional with age, and genetic studies have linked these cells to the pathogenesis of a growing number of neurodegenerative diseases. Here we report a […]
January 1, 2020
Comprehensive Dual- and Triple-Feature Intersectional Single-Vector Delivery of Diverse Functional Payloads to Cells of Behaving Mammals
Abstract: The resolution and dimensionality with which biologists can characterize cell types have expanded dramatically in recent years, and intersectional consideration of such features (e.g., multiple gene expression and anatomical parameters) […]
December 1, 2019
Undulating changes in human plasma proteome profiles across the lifespan
Abstract: Aging is a predominant risk factor for several chronic diseases that limit healthspan1. Mechanisms of aging are thus increasingly recognized as potential therapeutic targets. Blood from young mice reverses aspects […]
June 1, 2019
Aged blood impairs hippocampal neural precursor activity and activates microglia via brain endothelial cell VCAM1
Abstract: An aged circulatory environment can activate microglia, reduce neural precursor cell activity and impair cognition in mice. We hypothesized that brain endothelial cells (BECs) mediate at least some of these […]
April 11, 2019
CD22 blockade restores homeostatic microglial phagocytosis in ageing brains
Abstract: Microglia maintain homeostasis in the central nervous system through phagocytic clearance of protein aggregates and cellular debris. This function deteriorates during ageing and neurodegenerative disease, concomitant with cognitive decline. However, […]
January 28, 2019
Two eARCHT3.0 lines for optogenetic silencing of dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons
Abstract: Dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons modulate and control processes ranging from reward signaling to regulation of motor outputs. Further, dysfunction of these neurons is involved in both degenerative and psychiatric disorders. […]
January 16, 2019
Developmental Heterogeneity of Microglia and Brain Myeloid Cells Revealed by Deep Single-Cell RNA Sequencing
Abstract: Microglia are increasingly recognized for their major contributions during brain development and neurodegenerative disease. It is currently unknown whether these functions are carried out by subsets of microglia during different […]
January 1, 2019
Multiomics modeling of the immunome, transcriptome, microbiome, proteome and metabolome adaptations during human pregnancy
Abstract: Motivation Multiple biological clocks govern a healthy pregnancy. These biological mechanisms produce immunologic, metabolomic, proteomic, genomic and microbiomic adaptations during the course of pregnancy. Modeling the chronology of these adaptations […]
June 13, 2018
Multiple Click-Selective tRNA Synthetases Expand Mammalian Cell-Specific Proteomics
Abstract: Bioorthogonal tools enable cell-type-specific proteomics, a prerequisite to understanding biological processes in multicellular organisms. Here we report two engineered aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases for mammalian bioorthogonal labeling: a tyrosyl (ScTyrY43G) and a […]
November 30, 2017
Ancestral Circuits for the Coordinated Modulation of Brain State
Abstract: Internal states of the brain profoundly influence behavior. Fluctuating states such as alertness can be governed by neuromodulation, but the underlying mechanisms and cell types involved are not fully understood. […]
September 15, 2017
The form and function of channelrhodopsin
Abstract: Channelrhodopsins are light-gated ion channels that, via regulation of flagellar function, enable single-celled motile algae to seek ambient light conditions suitable for photosynthesis and survival. These plant behavioral responses were […]
September 15, 2017
Thirst-associated preoptic neurons encode an aversive motivational drive
Abstract: Water deprivation produces a drive to seek and consume water. How neural activity creates this motivation remains poorly understood. We used activity-dependent genetic labeling to characterize neurons activated by water […]
May 17, 2017
Global Representations of Goal-Directed Behavior in Distinct Cell Types of Mouse Neocortex
Abstract: The successful planning and execution of adaptive behaviors in mammals may require long-range coordination of neural networks throughout cerebral cortex. The neuronal implementation of signals that could orchestrate cortex-wide activity […]
Karl Deisseroth, Brain-Wide Dynamics project featured in NOMIS Insight film
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Can this fish help stop aging?
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NOMIS Award: Creating new sparks in science
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