Dr. Alex Kolodkin

Biography

Alex Kolodkin is a Professor in the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His work is centered on understanding neuronal connectivity during development, particularly focusing on the function of extrinsic guidance cues and their receptors in axonal guidance, dendritic morphology, and synapse formation. Over the years, he has investigated neural circuits formed and maintained by action of guidance cues including semaphorin proteins and their classical receptors, the plexins and neuropilins. Using both invertebrate and vertebrate model systems, Kolodkin employs a cross-phylogenetic approach to explore how guidance cues regulate neuronal pathfinding, morphology, and synaptogenesis. His current research interests have expanded to understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern laminar organization in the central nervous system. This includes identifying guidance cues that regulate specific aspects of neurite stratification in the mouse retina and targeting the axons of retinal ganglion cells to their midbrain targets.

Research Interests