Harrison Parent

My project is focused on identifying novel therapeutic targets to treat cognitive impairments associated with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), a relatively common neurodevelopmental disorder that causes benign tumors and pigmentation abnormalities in addition to cognitive deficits. Metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGlu7) is of particular interest for this project, and I use combinations of receptor agonists and positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) to interrogate mGlu7’s therapeutic potential in NF1 using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo pharmacological techniques. The ultimate goal of this project is to lay the groundwork for the development of a first-in-class therapy to treat NF1-related cognitive impairment.