Xin TangDr. Tang is a Simons postdoctoral scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. As part of The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, he is a member of Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch’s lab, a world-renowned pioneer of transgenic sciene and a Whitehead founding member. His current research focus is the identification of drugs and chemical compounds that increase KCC2 expression, a neuronal chloride transporter implicated in Rett syndrome, a severe autism spectrum disorder primarily affecting young girls. He is known in the neurodevelopment field for his seminal work with human stem cell-derived neurons linking a reduction in chloride transporter expression to Rett syndrome pathogenesis, providing compelling evidence that disruptions in neuronal chloride transporters and excitation/inhibition balance may be a main cause of autism. Dr. Tang holds a position at the Simons Center for the Social Brain and holds research funds from the Rett Syndrome Research Trust. Read More Read Less