About

Our Mission is to understand the causes of serious mental illness and to develop transformative treatments.

We study the biological mechanisms underlying psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders – from the molecular-cellular level to the circuit-systems level in the brain. Our current research focus is on genetic animal models of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder that are built on human genetics findings at the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research. Using multidisciplinary approaches such as transcriptomics, proteomics, electrophysiology, EEG, brain imaging, behavior, and aided by computational science, we seek to uncover the core pathophysiologies of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, identify new therapeutic targets and discover novel therapeutic agents and biomarkers that will be helpful for treatment of these serious mental illnesses. In addition, we are interested in neuroimmune mechanisms in the brain (especially microglia and astrocytes) and their role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric (e.g. schizophrenia, depression) and neurodegenerative (e.g. Alzheimer disease, frontotemporal dementia) disorders.

Morgan Sheng, M.D., Ph.D.

Stanley Center Co-Director & Head of Therapeutics

Morgan Sheng is a Core institute member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where he serves as co-director of Broad’s Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research and as Head of Stanley Center Therapeutics. He is also a Professor in MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, an affiliate member of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT, and Member of the Board of Directors of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT.

From 2001 to 2008, Morgan Sheng was the Menicon Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, as well as an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. From 2008 to 2019, Morgan was Vice-President of Neuroscience at Genentech, a leading biotech company, where he led research and drug discovery efforts for major diseases of the nervous system. His research at Genentech focused on human genetics and pathogenic mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease, particularly Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. In 2019, Morgan joined the Broad Institute as Core Institute Member and Co-Director of the Stanley Center.

 

Sheng Lab

The Sheng lab is a an interactive and multi-disciplinary group of individuals who work within the collaborative environment of the Stanley Center’s Neurobiology and Therapeutics groups. The Sheng lab is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. We recognize that the unique experiences of team members across a diversity of racial, socioeconomic, cultural, sexual orientation and gender identity backgrounds enrich us as individuals and as a lab. We consistently strive for diversity and equity, we constantly support inclusion, and we prohibit discrimination against other members of the group based on sex, color, religion, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or age. Each member of the group has a responsibility to uphold diversity and shares a commitment to respect the opinions and perspectives of others.

Group members are expected and required to follow the nondiscrimination policy of the Broad and of MIT (MIT Handbook).