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Debra Lynn Silver

Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

Overview


How is the brain assembled and sculpted during embryonic development?  Addressing this question has enormous implications for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders affecting brain size and function. In evolutionary terms, our newest brain structure is the cerebral cortex, which drives higher cognitive capacities. The overall mission of my research lab is to elucidate genetic and cellular mechanisms controlling cortical development and contributing to neurodevelopmental pathologies and brain evolution. We study neural progenitors, essential cells which generate neurons and are the root of brain development. We are guided by the premise that the same mechanisms at play during normal development were co-opted during evolution and when dysregulated, can cause neurodevelopmental disease.

My research program employs a multifaceted strategy to bridge developmental neurobiology, RNA biology, and evolution. 1) We investigate how cell fates are specified, by studying how progenitor divisions influence development and disease.  2) We study diverse layers of post-transcriptional regulation in neural progenitors. We investigate RNA binding proteins implicated in development and neurological disease. Using live imaging, we also investigate how sub-cellular control of mRNA localization and translation influences neural progenitors. 3) A parallel research focus is to understand how human-specific genetic changes influence species-specific brain development. Our goal is to integrate our efforts across these three major lines of research to understand the intricacies controlling brain development.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology · 2024 - Present Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Basic Science Departments
Professor in Cell Biology · 2024 - Present Cell Biology, Basic Science Departments
Professor of Neurobiology · 2024 - Present Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments
Investigator in the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2010 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2010 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2017 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center · 2021 - Present Duke Regeneration Center, Basic Science Departments

In the News


Published November 23, 2022
Human Evolution Wasn’t Just the Sheet Music, But How it Was Played
Published June 28, 2022
Role Identified for Key Gene in Developmental Disability Syndrome
Published February 10, 2021
Duke Celebrates Women and Girls in Science Day

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Recent Publications


mRNA stability fine-tunes gene expression in the developing cortex to control neurogenesis.

Journal Article PLoS Biol · February 2025 RNA abundance is controlled by rates of synthesis and degradation. Although mis-regulation of RNA turnover is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, how it contributes to cortical development is largely unknown. Here, we discover the landscape of RNA stab ... Full text Link to item Cite

Multi-modal investigation reveals pathogenic features of diverse DDX3X missense mutations.

Journal Article PLoS Genet · January 2025 De novo mutations in the RNA binding protein DDX3X cause neurodevelopmental disorders including DDX3X syndrome and autism spectrum disorder. Amongst ~200 mutations identified to date, half are missense. While DDX3X loss of function is known to impair neura ... Full text Link to item Cite

How our brains are built: emerging approaches to understand human-specific features.

Journal Article Curr Opin Genet Dev · December 2024 Understanding what makes us uniquely human is a long-standing question permeating fields from genomics, neuroscience, and developmental biology to medicine. The discovery of human-specific genomic sequences has enabled a new understanding of the molecular ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Regulation of neuronal GPCR/PKA signaling by RBM12

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030

Discovering the cell type basis of the IT projection system and its dysregulation after perinatal HIE

ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Neurobiology Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

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Education, Training & Certifications


Johns Hopkins University · 2003 Ph.D.
Tufts University · 1993 B.S.

External Links


lab website