DILEK COLAK
PhD · Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, USA
New York, USA
Brain Organoids
Glial Cells
Xenograft Models
RNA Regulation
Neurodevelopment
Abstract
Dilek Colak: How do glial cells achieve multiple functions, and how do they contribute to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric diseases?
Dr. Dilek Colak is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children’s Health, both at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Her scientific training began in Germany, where she pursued doctoral work at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology and the Helmholtz Center’s Stem Cell Institute in Munich under the mentorship of Dr. Magdalena Götz, laying the foundation for her enduring interest in the cellular logic of brain development. She relocated to New York in 2009 for postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Samie Jaffrey in the Department of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she uncovered an RNA-directed silencing mechanism implicated in Fragile X Syndrome, a discovery that reshaped her thinking about translational opportunities in neuropsychiatric disease and prompted her transition to an independent faculty position in 2015. Now promoted to Associate Professor, she leads a research program that integrates genetically engineered mouse models and human stem cell-derived brain organoids to investigate how glial cell dysfunction and RNA regulation shape the cellular and molecular pathology of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, with particular attention to autism and schizophrenia. Her dual appointment positions her at the interface of molecular neuroscience and pediatric medicine, where she champions rigorous methodology, collaborative integrity, and the scrutiny of long-standing dogmas. In this Genomic Press Interview, Dr. Colak is happy to share reflections on her life and career with our readers.
For more information on Dr. Colak’s life and career, read her Genomic Press Interview.
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DILEK COLAK
Building mini-brains to decode the origins of mental illness
First Author
Science
2014
2014
Fragile X RNA Silencing
01
Fragile X & RNA Silencing
Science 2014
- Discovered that FMR1 mRNA forms an RNA-DNA duplex that silences its own gene during development
- Revealed a fundamentally new type of RNA-directed epigenetic silencing in the most common inherited cause of autism
- A drug blocking this mechanism prevented gene silencing in human embryonic stem cells, suggesting therapeutic avenues
- Mechanism may extend to 20+ other trinucleotide repeat expansion diseases
- Work conducted during postdoctoral training under Samie Jaffrey at Weill Cornell
02
Brain Organoids & Schizophrenia
Molecular Psychiatry
- Grew patient-derived 3D cerebral organoids ("mini-brains") from iPSCs of 25 human donors to model early schizophrenia pathology
- Identified depleted BRN2 and pleiotrophin as convergent mechanisms driving reduced neurogenesis and cell death
- Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed cell-type-specific neuropathology encoded on a cell-by-cell basis
- Discovered altered endothelial permeability and angiogenesis patterns in schizophrenia organoids
- Mapped the developing schizophrenia proteome using 16-plex isobaric barcoding and quantitative mass spectrometry
03
Astrocytes, Autism & RNA
Translational Neuroscience
- Transplanted ASD patient-derived astrocytes into healthy mouse brains: induced repetitive behavior and impaired memory
- Demonstrated that non-neuronal glial cells alone can drive core autism phenotypes in vivo
- Identified exaggerated calcium fluctuations in ASD astrocytes within chimeric brains
- NIMH R01 grant (2022-2027) investigating astrocyte RNA degradation pathways in cognition
- Simons Foundation grant probing the novel ASD-risk gene GIGYF1 in brain development
04
Journey & Vision
From Sakarya to New York
- Born in Sakarya, Turkey; BS from Hacettepe University, Ankara; PhD under Magdalena Götz in Munich
- A childhood memory of a boy with mental illness watching from his balcony while others played ignited her path to neuroscience
- Champions collaborative integrity: failed experiments shared without fear are as valuable as successes
- Advocates for holistic research metrics beyond high-impact journals and quantitative reductionism
- Heroes: all trailblazer women; most admired living person: Malala Yousafzai
“I have never followed the bandwagon in research. I investigate questions that arise from my clinical work. The best science happens when researchers feel safe to share failed experiments without fear of judgment.”
