• Peds/Neurology

Dr. Pierson's clinical and research focus is the study of rare neurogenetic disorders with an emphasis on the diagnosis of these disorders in patients of the Pediatric Neurogenetics Clinic. His laboratory research focuses on generating cellular and animal models of these rare disorders with the hope of providing insight into nervous system as a whole and more common CNS disorders. Biomedical research often focuses on common disorders that affect a significant portion of the population (e.g., diabetes, cancer, heart disease). This approach prudently allocates limited research funds toward disorders that have the most widespread effect on collective medical needs. Unfortunately, this path often neglects rare disorders that affect only a handful of patients; however, the study of these rare disorders can be very valuable in providing insight into cellular and molecular functions. Rare neurogenetic disorders are often caused by mutations that alter the function of important genes involved in neurodevelopment or function of cells in the nervous system. Many of the genes involved in neurodevelopmental disorders are crucial to cognitive development and human behavior; alternatively, pediatric neurodegenerative disorders occur after normal neurodevelopment with subsequent toxicity occurring due to lack of genes to maintain a functioning nervous system. The Pierson Laboratory studies both of these types of disorders with patient-derived IPSCs, NPCs, inducible-neurons and cerebral organoids to provide insight into neurologic function, as well as researches therapeutic interventions for affected families. The recent emergence of genomic methods such as high-density single nucleotide polymorphism arrays, exome sequencing and whole-genome sequencing has revolutionized the ability to make diagnoses of rare or new disorders. Further advances in biotechnology, such as induced pluripotent stem cells, enables researchers to model these disorders with patient-derived cells to confirm the genetic diagnosis and research the mechanisms of disease. This knowledge sets up our ability to generate potential therapeutic interventions for these rare disorders.

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• Other Degrees: Baylor College of Medicine, 1999
• Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine, 2001
• Residency: Texas Children's Hospital, 2002
• Residency: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 2003
• Fellowship: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2007
• Fellowship: National Institutes of Health, 2012

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