Developmental Biology Program

The Thomas Vierbuchen Lab

Research

Thomas S. Vierbuchen, PhD

The Vierbuchen laboratory seeks to elucidate fundamental mechanisms governing the production of the myriad neuronal cell types required to build functioning neural circuits. To model these dynamic developmental processes, we direct the differentiation of mouse and human pluripotent stem cells into specific neuronal cell types in a dish. This reductionist system allows us to recapitulate neural tube patterning and neuronal differentiation under controlled conditions and at a scale that makes it possible to use genetic screens, genomics, and systems genetics to characterize the underlying cell signaling and gene regulatory processes with unprecedented resolution. In the long term, we will apply these insights to better understand the complex genetic underpinnings of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disease.

Featured News

Once a Patient, Now a Scientist Seeking Answers: At Work with Developmental Biologist Thomas Vierbuchen

Meet Thomas Vierbuchen, a developmental biologist who uses stem cells to understand brain development.

Publications

Vierbuchen T*, Ling E*, Cowley C, Couch C, Harmin DA, Wang X, Roberts CW, Greenberg ME. AP-1 transcription factors and the BAF complex mediate signal-dependent enhancer selection. Molecular Cell 68, 1067-1082 (2017)

Vierbuchen T, Ostermeier A, Pang ZP, Kokubu Y, Sudhof T, Wernig M. Direct conversion of fibroblasts to functional neurons by defined factors. Nature 463, 1035–1041 (2010)

View All Publications

People

Thomas S. Vierbuchen, PhD

The Vierbuchen laboratory directs the differentiation of mouse and human pluripotent stem cells to characterize fundamental mechanisms of neuronal cell fate specification and function.
PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine

Members

Rachel Glenn
Graduate Student, Weill Cornell BCMB program

Mohammed T. Islam
Graduate Student, Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Daniel Medina-Cano
Research Fellow - NYSTEM Training Award at the CSCB

Lab Affiliations

Achievements

Josie Robertson Investigator (2018-2023)
David Hubel Award, Neurobiology Department, Harvard Medical School (2017)
HHMI Fellow of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (2014-2018)
Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award (2013)
Collegiate Inventors Competition (Finalist, 2010)

Open Positions

To learn more about available postdoctoral opportunities, please visit our Career Center

Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

Apply now

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Thomas S. Vierbuchen discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

Neucyte Inc.
Intellectual Property Rights; Ownership / Equity Interests

The information published here is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2020 through disclosure submission in spring 2021). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at ecoi@mskcc.org.

View all disclosures