• Mercedes Beyna

    Posts (15) | Latest Post

    Scientist, Autism Research Unit

    Pfizer Global Research and Development

    Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been deeply curious about the workings of nature (how does a sunflower’s face know to track the sun? what is the sequence of events that turns a single fertilized egg into a whole human body? what exactly is the mind?). During undergraduate studies, I developed a love of molecular and cellular biology. I am all about dissecting out the mysteries of nature “at the bench” (ie, “hands-on effort in the laboratory”) in the belief that if scientists know how things work, we are better able to devise cures when biology goes awry. The brain has been my focus for the past decade and my current work involves the synapse, a specialized formation where neurons (the master cells of the brain) communicate with each other. Isn’t it impressive that no matter what we do – breathe, talk, click on a computer mouse or, even just think of clicking – a neuron somewhere in the brain must first fire (start a signal)?

    Key Areas of Research

    Autism; Developmental Genetics; Molecular Neuroscience; Mood Disorders; Nuclear Hormone Receptors; Synapse Biology

    Professional Affiliations

    New York Academy of Sciences; Society for Neuroscience

    Education

    M.A. in Biology – New York University, New York, NY B.A. in Biology – Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY

    Published Articles

    1: Arévalo JC, Waite J, Rajagopal R, Beyna M, Chen ZY, Lee FS, Chao MV. Cell survival through Trk neurotrophin receptors is differentially regulated by ubiquitination. Neuron. 2006;50(4):549-59. 2: Sanchez P, Hernández AM, Stecca B, Kahler AJ, DeGueme AM, Barrett A, Beyna M, Datta MW, Datta S, Ruiz i Altaba A. Inhibition of prostate cancer proliferation by interference with SONIC HEDGEHOG-GLI1 signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004;101(34):12561-6. 3: Dahmane N, Sánchez P, Gitton Y, Palma V, Sun T, Beyna M, Weiner H, Ruiz i Altaba A. The Sonic Hedgehog-Gli pathway regulates dorsal brain growth and tumorigenesis. Development. 2001;128(24):5201-12. 4: Lasorella A, Noseda M, Beyna M, Yokota Y, Iavarone A. Id2 is a retinoblastoma protein target and mediates signaling by Myc oncoproteins. Nature. 2000;407(6804):592-8.