Dr. Luisa Cochella

Biography

Luisa Cochella is an Assistant Professor in the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She focuses on uncovering basic regulatory principles that instruct neuronal diversity and development, with an emphasis on transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. Her research explores how the nervous system's complex functions rely on a vast diversity of neuron types, rooted in neuron-type-specific gene expression controlled by specific regulators. Cochella's work employs a combination of molecular biology, genetics, and RNA biochemistry, utilizing the nematode C. elegans as a primary model organism to design experiments with unparalleled cellular resolution. Her key research interests include the temporal combinations of transcription factors and their role in neuronal diversification, as well as the contributions of microRNAs (miRNAs) to neuronal specialization. Cochella has developed innovative techniques like mime-seq for profiling miRNAs in rare cell types, aiming to generate a comprehensive atlas of miRNA expression within the C. elegans nervous system.

Research Interests