Joshua Sanes received a BA from Yale, and a PhD from Harvard. He served on the faculty of Washington University for over 20 years before returning to Harvard in 2004 as Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Founding Director of the Center for Brain Science.
Sanes devoted most of his scientific career to the study of synaptogenesis. He and his colleagues initially used the neuromuscular junction to analyze formation, maturation and maintenance of this synapse. Later, they turned to the retina to analyze synaptic specificity – how neurons choose appropriate partners to generate complex neural circuits. In both projects, they combined molecular, genetic, histological and physiological methods to elucidate mechanisms that turn out to be conserved throughout the nervous system. They also pioneered new ways to mark and manipulate neurons and the synapses they form.
Most recently, they used high throughput single cell transcriptomics to catalogue and characterize the cell types in the mouse retina, generating the first complete cell atlas for a vertebrate brain region. This atlas, in turn, provided a foundation for studies on retinal development, injury, disease and evolution.
Professional position
- Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Founding Director, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University
