HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator Andrew Kodani, PhD, can often be found in his element, sipping a cup of home-roasted coffee and talking science with his lab. It is in these moments that his excitement and passion for his research truly come to life. 

Dr. Kodani is a neurobiologist specializing in human genetics to understand the fundamental basis of brain development and neurodevelopmental diseases. Much of his work centers around finding cellular and developmental pathways that underly disease pathogenesis and uncovering treatments that will improve the quality of life for children with neurodevelopmental diseases. 

Dr. Kodani and his lab use multiple molecular and genetic techniques to better understand healthy brain development and what goes wrong with neurodevelopmental diseases. They work closely with clinicians, hospitals, and patient groups to identify groups of patients with similar conditions so that they can perform research genetic sequencing to identify genetic causes for the disease, followed by secondary clinical validations. 

Once they find a potentially causative genetic change, the real magic starts. The team uses various approved animal and cell models to confirm that the change has a function in neurodevelopment. After they are confident that the gene change and corresponding cellular processes are contributing to the development of the disease, they move on to drug screening to find potential compounds that will help re-establish the signaling pathways that went awry in human disease. Their ultimate goal is to take a drug to clinical trials for approval for use in patients. 

Discoveries from Dr. Kodani’s lab have led to treatments that may improve the quality of life for children with rare neurodevelopmental disorders. Seeing the real-life application of his research motivates Dr. Kodani to keep working toward breakthroughs for individuals living with brain diseases. 

“Working with families and the family foundation groups humanizes what we do,” says Kodani. “It puts a rationale as to why we should be working on it, and it gives us unforeseen motivation to keep pushing through and persevere because there’s a human outcome at the end of each of our studies. I truly believe that every child deserves a happy childhood. I know I can’t fix every disorder, but I won’t let you face them alone.” 

It is also part of Dr. Kodani’s mission to help provide universal accessibility to genetic testing and care so that families are empowered with diagnoses, resources, and potential treatment options. 

Andy came to HudsonAlpha in 2024 from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. He received a PhD in Developmental and Cell Biology from the University of California, Irvine in 2010 and a bachelor of arts in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2005.