Sandeep Gupta

Sandeep Gupta

Sandeep Gupta, PhD

Assistant Professor
Office: 3020c Katz
Laboratory: 3rd Floor Katz
sgupta12@ualberta.ca

 

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

I am actively accepting students interested in working at the intersection of stem cell biology and neuroscience. If you are interested, please join our collaborative and inclusive team!

Awards

  • Intersection Science Fellows Symposium (ISFS) Associate, Yale University
  • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Fellow, Govt. of India

Research Interests

My lab in the Department of Cell Biology at the 天涯社区 harnesses the power of stem cells to study neural development and differentiation under three key areas:

Modeling neurodevelopmental disorders: Research Interests

My lab primarily focuses on human stem cell modeling of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects children worldwide, including many in Canada, impacting their ability to communicate, interact socially, manage daily tasks, and cope with sensory experiences such as sounds, lights, or textures. Using advanced stem cell-based models—including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), neural organoids, genetic editing (CRISPR-Cas9), genomics, and microscopy—we explore human-specific disruptions in neural circuits to discover novel therapeutic targets. Our integrated approach aims to identify genes and signaling pathways involved in ASD and develop robust, patient-specific models to find new treatments that benefit affected families. 

Investigating mechanisms regulating human neural diversity: Another key area of our research is understanding how human neural differentiation is regulated at the molecular level. Our research focuses on genes involved in diverse biological processes, such as ion channels and methyl-group editing enzymes, using organoid models to reveal how cellular diversity in the brain and spinal cord is achieved and regulated. By manipulating these factors, we aim to uncover new methods for improving in vitro models of human neural development.

Developing next-generation protocols for regenerative medicine: In collaboration with the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI) at the UofA, my lab is also involved with developing regenerative medicine protocols for neural injuries such as stroke and spinal cord damage, generating specific neuron types to repair damaged circuits. Our approach utilizes the blueprint of embryonic development to create protocols that generate circuit-specific bona fide neurons capable of replacing damaged or diseased neural circuits upon transplantation. These protocols harness naturally occurring intermediate cell types and recapitulate key molecular events in neural differentiation pathways to ensure the derived neurons come from bona fide lineages. Using transcriptomic approaches, we aim to compare these in vitro models to human embryonic tissues directly. This allows us to identify similarities and areas where our in vitro systems can be improved. This research supports developing effective therapies and personalized treatments for neurological disorders.

Selected Publications

  1. Gupta S*, Heinrich E*, Novitch BG, and Butler SJ (2024). Investigating the basis of lineage decisions and developmental trajectories in the dorsal spinal cord through pseudotime analyses. Development, * contributed equally.

  2. Alvarez, S, Gupta S, Honeychurch K, Mercado-Ayon Y, and Butler SJ (2024). Netrin patterns the dorsal spinal cord through modulation of BMP signaling. Cell Reports; doi:

  3. Purbey P, Roy K, Gupta S, and Paul M (2023). Mechanistic insight into the protective and pathogenic immune-responses against SARS-CoV-2. Mol Immunol.


  4. Gupta S, Kawaguchi R, Heinrichs E, Mandric I, Gallardo S, Castellanos S, Novitch BG, and Butler SJ (2022). In vitro atlas of dorsal spinal interneurons reveals Wnt signaling as a critical regulator of progenitor expansion. Cell Reports.  
    (Recommended by Faculty Opinions)

  5. Gupta S, Yamauchi K, Novitch BG, and Butler SJ (2021). Derivation of Dorsal Sensory Interneurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. STAR Protocols.
  6. Gupta S*, and Butler SJ. (2021) Getting in touch of your senses: Mechanisms specifying sensory interneurons in the dorsal spinal cord. WIREs Mechanism of Disease (invited review). * Co-corresponding author.

  7. Gupta S, Udaykumar N, and Sen J. (2020) Forebrain roof plate morphogenesis and hippocampus development in the chick embryo. Int. J. Dev. Bio (invited review). 2020;64(1-2-3):247-257.  

  8. Han AY, Gupta S, Novitch BG. (2018) Molecular specification of facial branchial motor neurons in vertebrates. Developmental Biology. 2018 Jan 29.

  9. Gupta S, Sivalingam D, Hain S, Makkar C, Sosa E, Clark A, Butler SJ (2018). Deriving Dorsal Sensory Interneurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem Cell Reports.

  10. Gupta, S. Sen, J. (2015). Retinoic acid signaling regulates the development of the dorsal forebrain midline and the choroid plexus in the chick. Development. [Epub ahead of print]

  11. Gupta, S. Sen, J. (2016) Roof plate mediated morphogenesis of the forebrain: new players join the game. Developmental Biology.

  12. Gupta, S., Maurya, R., Saxena, M., Sen, J (2012). Defining structural homology between the mammalian and avian hippocampus through conserved gene expression patterns observed in the chick embryo. Developmental Biology.

  13. Gupta, S. Sen, J. (2012) A Bird’s Eye view of vertebrate forebrain development. Journal of the Indian Institute of Science (Vol 92, no: 4, 2012)

Laboratory Members

Coming Soon!