Skip to content

Home  |  JOIN  |  Contact Us  |  Member Portal  |  Vascular Network

Members’ Labs

Natasha O'Brown, PhD

Assistant Professor
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Rutgers University

Primary Research:

The O’Brown Lab investigates how the blood–brain barrier (BBB) is built during development and how it becomes compromised in disease. Using zebrafish as a primary model, alongside mouse models for cross-species validation, we combine live imaging, genetics, and single-cell approaches to define the cellular and molecular signals that regulate BBB formation, maintenance, and dysfunction. Our work aims to uncover how neural and vascular cells communicate to establish selective permeability in the brain—and how this system fails in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and neuroinflammation.

Laboratory web site URL:

www.obrownlab.com

Recent Presentations:

Angiogenesis Gordon Research Conference, August 2025 (Invited Presentation). Cerebral Vascular Biology (CVB), June 2025 (Invited Presentation). Brain Barriers CSHL, April 2025 (Invited Presentation). Glial Biology Gordon Research Conference, March 2025 (Poster Presentation). University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), March 2025 (Invited Presentation). 10th Annual BHI Symposium, November 2024 (Invited Presentation). University of New Mexico, October 2024 (Invited Presentation).

Collaborative Relationships:

Dr. Ethan Lippmann, Vanderbilt University, School of Engineering
Dr. Brian Daniels, Rutgers University, Cell Biology and Neuroscience
Dr. Peng Jiang, Rutgers University, Cell Biology and Neuroscience

Laboratory Motto:

Inspired by curiosity, built with creativity, sustained by humor.

Previously Featured Labs

Osama Harraz, PhD

January 1, 2025

Bloomfield Professor in Cardiovascular Research Assistant Professor of Pharmacology University…

Learn More

Ziqing Liu, PhD

December 2, 2024

Assistant Professor Department of Physiology Medical College of Wisconsin  …

Learn More

Andrew Vaughan, PhD

October 28, 2024

Associate Professor Biomedical Sciences University of Pennsylvania   Primary Research:…

Learn More

Guizhen Zhao, PhD

September 29, 2024

Assistant Professor Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences University of…

Learn More

Dolly Mehta, PhD

September 2, 2024

Professor Pharmacology & Regenerative Medicine University of Illinois Chicago  …

Learn More

Laura Pillay, PhD

August 1, 2024

Assistant Professor Department of Biology Western Washington University   Primary…

Learn More