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Headshot of Russell Ferland

Russ Ferland, Ph.D.

Professor

Chair, Department Biomedical Sciences, COM

Location

Stella Maris Hall 331
Biddeford Campus

The combined long-term objectives of our research are to better understand the molecular, genetic, and cellular mechanisms causing neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders. Overall, my research interests lie primarily in the study of disorders of brain development and neurological disease, and specifically involve the following areas of investigation:

1) functional analyses of AHI1 and CSPP1, two novel genes which we mapped and cloned in individuals with Joubert syndrome (Hsiao et al., J. Neurosci., 2021; Munoz and Ferland, J. Cell Sci., 2019; Bourgeois and Ferland, Dev. Biol., 2019; Tuz et al., Am. J. Hum. Genet., 2014; Tuz et al., J. Biol. Chem., 2013; Westfall et al., J. Neurosci., 2010; Hsiao et al., Hum. Mol. Genet., 2009; Doering et al., J. Comp. Neurol., 2008; Ferland et al., Nature Genetics, 2004),

2) formation and function of the primary non-motile cilia in development and disease (Hua and Ferland, Methods Cell Bio., 2023; Hsiao et al., J. Neurosci., 2021; Munoz and Ferland, J. Cell Sci., 2019; Munoz and Ferland, J. Cell Sci., 2019; Bourgeois and Ferland, Dev. Biol., 2019; Hua and Ferland, Bioessays, 2018; Hua and Feland, Cell. Mol. Life Sci., 2018; Hua and Ferland, Cilia, 2017; Tuz et al., Am. J. Hum. Genet., 2014; Tuz et al., J. Biol. Chem., 2013; Hsiao et al., Cilia, 2012; Westfall et al., J. Neurosci., 2010; Hsiao et al., Hum. Mol. Genet., 2009), 

3) genetic and neuroanatomical mechanisms of seizure threshold, seizure propagation, epileptogenesis, and Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) (Wilson, et al., FASEB J., 2021; Ferland et al., G3 Genes, Genom. Genet, 2017; Ferland, 2017; Loscher, Ferland, and Ferraro, Epilepsy and Behavior, 2017; Kadiyala et al., J. Neurosci., 2016; Kadiyala et al., Epil. Res., 2015; Kadiyala et al., PLoS ONE, 2014; Papandrea et al., Exp. Neurol., 2009; Papandrea et al., Epil. Res., 2009; Ferland et al, 1998a,b,c, 1999, 2002a,b, 2003).

Credentials

Education

MS, Neuroscience
University of Rochester Medical School
1998
PhD, Neuroscience
University of Rochester Medical School
2000

Post-Doctoral Training

Post-Doctoral Training, Neurogenetics/Neurodevelopment
Harvard Medical School & Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Boston, Massachusetts)

Research

Selected publications

Source code & compiled version of the algorithm are available at: 

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  • This work was highlighted in , 5 Dec, 2018.  

Source code & compiled version of the algorithm are available at: 

 

  • This work was highlighted in , 31 Jul 2008.

Other scholarly activity

Book Chapters:

Löscher W, Ferland RJ, Ferraro TN. Strain effects on expression of seizures and epilepsy. In: Models of Seizure and Epilepsy, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Academic Press (2017) pp. 21-38.  ISBN 9780128040669

Hua K, Bourgeois JR, Ferland RJ. Joubert syndrome. In: Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology, Elsevier (2017) pp. 1-8.   ISBN 9780128093245

Ferland RJ, Walsh CA. The genetics of Joubert syndrome: Insights into the development of the posterior midline of the brain.  In: Squire, LR (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Neuroscience.  San Diego: Academic Press (2009) pp. 249-256.

Applegate CD, Burchfiel JL, Ferland RJ, Nierenberg J.   The role of rhinencephalic networks in the late stages of kindling.  In: Corcoran, M and Moshe, S (Eds.) Kindling 5.  New York: Raven Press  (1998)  pp. 151-165.

Invited Editorials:

Ferland RJ and Guerrini R.  Nodular heterotopia is built upon layers. Neurology, 73: 742-743, 2009.

Ferland R and Hua K. Referee Report For: Murine Cep290 phenotypes are modified by genetic backgrounds and provide an impetus for investigating disease modifier alleles [version 1; referees: 2 approved] F1000Research 2015, 4:590 (doi: 10.5256/f1000research.7495.r10185)

Hua K and Ferland RJ. Primary cilia: the story of the hair-like organelle that signals just became more complicated. Atlas of science, 2019. https://atlasofscience.org/primary-cilia-the-story-of-the-hair-like-organelle-that-signals-just-became-more-complicated/

Research topics

Biosignaling
Brain
COM Faculty Research
Development
Developmental Biology
Gene Expression
Neural Stem Cell
Neuroscience