Welcome to the Hess-Jinnah Research Group
Our team consists of basic research and clinical research components in a true bench-to-bedside approach. Our basic research focuses on the mechanisms underlying movement disorders caused by basal ganglia dysfunction and abnormal dopamine signaling including dystonia, Lesch-Nyhan disease and Parkinson’s disease. The aim is to understand brain dysfunction at the genetic, cellular and physiologic levels with the ultimate goal of identifying novel therapeutic interventions that can then be tested in clinical trials. To accomplish this, we use a multidisciplinary strategy to understand basal ganglia dysfunction including molecular, genetic, anatomical, neurochemical, physiologic, pharmacologic and behavioral approaches. Work is performed both in vitro using human-derived iPSCs and in vivo using genetic manipulations in mice to dissect and unravel disease processes.
Our clinical work is aimed primarily at translational research. This includes more precise characterization of clinical phenotypes, exploring genotype-phenotype relationships, neuroimaging, biorepositories for exploring biomarkers of disease and clinical trials of promising new treatments.