Mladen-Roko Rasin, MD, PhD

Mladen-Roko Rasin’s research focuses on the role of posttranscriptional regulation in normal and abnormal central nervous system development. Developmental neuroscience and associated disorders became a research passion early on in his training. He received his MD and PhD from the University of Zagreb, Croatia. After receiving his M.D., Dr. Rasin joined Yale University where he carried out his thesis work and post-doctoral training. During his post-doctoral training, Dr. Rasin received a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from NIH/NINDS.

After obtaining an independent position, Dr. Rasin has been funded by the New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research and NIH. His scientific contributions, mentoring, and teaching skills were recognized by the New Jersey Health Foundation with an “Excellence in Research Award”.

Dr. Rasin continues to teach, mentor, and maintain NIH funding for his lab. His current projects investigate the roles of RNA binding and ribosomal proteins in neural development and associated neurodevelopmental diseases, such as autism and epilepsy. 

• Kwan KY, Lam MMS, Johnson MB, Dube U, Shim S, Rasin MR, Sousa AMM, Fertuzinhos S, Chen JG, Arellano JI, Chan DW, Pletikos M, Vasung L, Rowitch DH, Huang EJ, Schwartz ML, Willemsen R, Oostra BA, Rakic P, Heffer M, Kostovic I, Judas M, Sestan N (2012). Species-Dependent Posttranscriptional Regulation of NOS1 by FMRP in the Developing Cerebral Cortex. Cell. 149:899-911.
• Petanjek, Z., Judas, M., Simic, G., Rasin, MR, Uylings, H.B.M., Rakic P., Kostovic I. (2011). Extraordinary neoteny of synaptic spines in the human prefrontal cortex. PNAS USA. 108:13281-13286.
• Thompson K, DiBona VL, Dubey A, Crockett DP, Rasin MR. (2010). Acute adaptive responses of central sensorimotor neurons after spinal cord injury. Transl. Neurosci. 1:268278.
• Fertuzinhos S, Krsnik Z, Kawasawa YI, Rasin MR, Kwan KY, Chen JG, Judas M, Hayashi M, Sestan N. (2009) Selective depletion of molecularly defined cortical interneurons in human holoprosencephaly with severe striatal hypoplasia. Cereb Cortex. 19:2196-2207.
• Stillman AA, Krsnik Z, Sun J, Rasin MR, State MW, Sestan N, Louvi A. (2009) Developmentally regulated and evolutionarily conserved expression of SLITRK1 in brain circuits implicated in Tourette syndrome. J Comp Neurol. 513:21-37.
• Rasin, M.R., Gazula, V.R., Breunig, J.B., Kwan, K.Y., Li, H.S., Liu-Chen, S., Jan, Y.N., Rakic, P., Sestan, N. (2007). Numb and Numbl are required for the maintenance of cadherin based adhesion and polarity of neural progenitors. Nature Neurosci. 10:819-827.
• Kuo, C.T., Mirzadeh, Z., Soriano-Navarro, M., Rasin, M.R., Wang, D., Shen, J., Sestan, N., Garcia-Verdugo, J., Alvarez-Buylla, A., Jan, L.Y., Jan, Y.N. (2006). Postnatal deletion of Numb/Numblike reveals repair and remodeling capacity in the subventricular neurogenic niche. Cell. 127:1253-1264.
• Smith, K.M., Ohkubo, Y., Maragnoli, M.E., Rasin, M.R., Schwartz, M.L., Sestan, N., Vaccarino, F.M. (2006). Midline radial glia translocation and corpus callosum formation require Fgf signaling. Nature Neurosci:9:787-797.
• Chen, J.G.*, Rasin, M.R.*, Kwan, K.Y., Sestan, N. (2005). Zfp312 is required for subcortical projections and dendritic morphology of deep layer pyramidal neurons of the cerebral cortex. PNAS USA 102:17792-17797.
• Abelson, J.F., Kwan, K.Y., O'roak, B.J., Baek, D.Y., Stillman, A.A., Morgan, T.M., Mathews, C.A., Pauls, D.L., Rasin, M.R., Gunel, M., Davis, N.R., Ercan-Sencicek, A.G., Guez, D.H., Spertus, J.A., Leckman, J.F., Dure, L.S. 4th, Kurlan, R., Singer, H.S., Gilbert, D.L., Farhi, A., Louvi, A., Lifton, R.P., Sestan, N., State, M.W. (2005). Sequence variants in SLITRK1 are associated with Tourette's syndrome. Science. 310:317-320.