The MINDS Lab is committed to understanding the building blocks of the human brain and what goes wrong to cause brain disorders.
The MINDS Lab broadly aims to uncover fundamental brain functions and what goes wrong to cause brain disorders. We have a focus on stress neurobiology and mental illnesses, and our work also has relevance for other brain disorders such as dementias and traumatic brain injury. At the same time, we foster a supportive environment with world-class training of the next generation of scientists with our international research team which spans Australia, the USA, Canada, Germany, Iceland and Sweden. We are located in beautiful Wollongong, Australia, about one hour south of Sydney. We are affiliated with Molecular Horizons, the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute and The Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, Germany. The lab is led by Dr Natalie Matosin.
Our goal
Our lab predominately studies postmortem human brain specimens from people who lived with a brain illness and donated their brain to medical research. We use these specimens to pinpoint differences in the shapes, numbers, orientation and connections of brain cells, as well as what is happening inside them using cutting edge single-cell molecular profiling methods. Our research is unique in that we implement unbiased multi-omics approaches, and combine them with advanced histological methods to take genetic findings to the cellular level. We also work closely with our collaborators to use human stem-cell and animal models to further study our research questions. Our research provides the fundamental knowledge needed to develop new treatments and interventions for brain illnesses.
Our values in and out of the lab
We value high quality science, collaboration, openness and authenticity, training and connecting the next generation of scientists with world leaders. We run on enthusiasm and creating an environment that is positive and encourages teamwork and generosity.
MINDS Lab 