Lieber Institute for Brain Development

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Lieber Institute for Brain Development

Translating genetic insights into next generation treatments. LIBD partners with academic, pharmaceutical, foundation, and government agencies world-wide.

The Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD) was established in 2010 through the historic gift of Constance & Stephen Lieber and Milton & Tamar Maltz as an independent, not-for-profit medical research institute with end-to-end capabilities under one roof. LIBD translates genetic insights into breakthrough treatments utilizing unparalleled resources in human brain tissue and human cell lines to understand the developmental origins of schizophrenia and related brain disorders. Affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, LIBD is led by Dr. Daniel Weinberger, formerly the head of the Genes, Cognition and Psychosis Program at the National Institute of Mental Health, and includes a world-class team of scientists with over 200 years’ cumulative experience and 2,500 published scientific papers. The Institute is committed to a collaborative approach and invests in building research networks and partnerships to accelerate scientific discovery.

04/07/2026

It’s one of the most common questions families ask… and one of the most complex to answer.

Right now, scientists don’t point to a single cause. Instead, research shows that autism develops from a combination of factors working together.

Some of the biggest areas researchers are exploring:

🧬 Genetics
Certain gene variations may increase the likelihood of autism by influencing how the brain develops and functions.

🧠 Brain Development
Early differences in how brain cells communicate can shape how individuals experience and interact with the world.

🌍 Environmental Influences
Factors during early development may also play a role alongside genetics.

What matters most is this: autism is not caused by one thing, and it doesn’t look the same for everyone.

Understanding how these pieces fit together is one of the most important goals in autism research today. Every discovery brings us closer to better support, earlier understanding, and more personalized care.

04/06/2026

For many families, it starts with questions. It might start with a missed milestone, a change in behavior, or a moment that just feels uncertain.

An autism diagnosis can bring both clarity and new challenges. It can mean navigating therapies, medical care, and wondering what the future will look like.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) begins early in development and affects people in very different ways. Some individuals may live independently, while others may need lifelong support.

• About 1 in 44 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with ASD
• ASD is more than 4 times more common in boys

At the LIBD, our scientists are working to better understand what autism is, what causes it, and how it affects the brain because understanding is the first step toward better outcomes for individuals and families.

04/02/2026

Big congratulations to Jason Rehg, a Research Assistant in the Circuits Group, on being accepted into the Neuroscience PhD program at Johns Hopkins University!

We’re excited to see him take this next step and continue his work in neuroscience. Wishing him all the best in this exciting new chapter.

03/31/2026

We remember Steve Lieber, whose vision, generosity, and humanity helped shape the future of mental health research.

Alongside his late wife, Connie, Steve was driven by a singular purpose: to bring hope to individuals living with serious mental illness, especially those too often overlooked by medicine. Together, they built a legacy rooted in compassion, curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to understanding complex brain disorders.

Steve was not only a visionary, but a deeply kind and genuine person. He had a calm presence, a thoughtful perspective, and a quiet resilience that left a lasting impression on everyone he met. Those who knew him remember his warmth, his sense of humor, and the way he spoke about Connie with such joy and love. His optimism, even in the face of adversity, was steady and inspiring.

Through the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Steve helped create opportunities for discovery, collaboration, and mentorship that have touched scientists and clinicians around the world. His impact lives on in the research he championed, the careers he helped shape, and the countless lives that stand to benefit from this work.

As we continue to move this mission forward, we remain inspired by Steve’s life of service and his belief in what science can achieve. His legacy endures in every step we take toward better understanding and treating brain disorders.

03/30/2026

We’ve got a lot to smile about.

This month, our team from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development attended the AWS (Amazon Web Services) Imagine for Nonprofits Conference, joining leaders across nonprofit, education, and government sectors.

From conversations around AI and cloud technology to exploring new ways to accelerate research, it was an inspiring opportunity to connect, learn, and think about what’s next.

03/26/2026

Not your average science project.

Staff Scientist Jiyun Zhou recently attended the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) conference in Orlando, Florida, where he presented a poster titled “Deep Learning Reveals Distinct Epigenetic Mechanisms for Common and Rare Genetic Variation in Brain Disorders.”

We are proud to see Lieber Institute researchers sharing their work and contributing to conversations advancing genomics and brain science.

03/24/2026

Turns out brainpower runs on pancakes and coffee. 🧠 ☕

The Neural Plasticity, Molecular Neuroanatomy, and Imaging Development teams met up at Miss Shirley’s for their annual team breakfast. A little brain fuel, a lot of great conversation, and probably a few ideas worth writing down before the coffee wore off.

03/23/2026

We recently had a great question about negative symptoms in schizophrenia, so here is a quick breakdown:

• Positive symptoms add experiences, such as hallucinations or delusions
• Negative symptoms reduce normal functions, like motivation or emotional expression
• Cognitive symptoms affect memory, attention, and decision-making

Understanding and treating negative symptoms remains one of the biggest challenges in schizophrenia research and a key focus for scientists working to improve outcomes for patients.

03/19/2026

Congratulations to Bernard Mulvey, winner of the February LIBD Lens! 🧠📸

His winning image, “The Rooster of Molecular Variation in the Dorsal Pons,” began as a visualization of gene activity from brainstem tissue samples. Each cluster exhibits distinct molecular patterns in the data.

But once the axis labels were removed and the image was converted to monochrome, something unexpected appeared in the data…

A rooster. 🐓

Curious, Bernard asked AI what it thought the image showed, and the response only added to the fun. A great reminder that even in highly complex biological data, surprising patterns can emerge… sometimes looking a little more farmyard than expected.

03/17/2026

Some patterns in brain data are so complex, humans could spend years trying to untangle them.

AI can spot them in minutes.

Lieber researchers like Michael Nagle are using machine learning to analyze biological data in ways that were not previously possible. By uncovering patterns across many interacting factors, AI is helping scientists better understand brain disorders and move closer to developing new treatments.

03/16/2026

Designing new medicines is a little like searching for a needle in a molecular haystack.

At the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, our researchers are developing an AI tool called GRAPE. No, not the fruit. This GRAPE stands for Generative Reinforcement Alignment of Predicted Expression, and it helps scientists design new chemical structures that could become future treatments for brain disorders like schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is incredibly complex and involves hundreds of genes, which makes finding effective treatments a major challenge. GRAPE helps scientists analyze those complex patterns and identify promising drug candidates much more quickly.

It is one more way Lieber researchers are combining neuroscience, genetics, and AI to move closer to better treatments for patients and families.

03/12/2026

Imagine your brain trying to sort through thoughts, sounds, and emotions, but the signals keep getting crossed.

Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and experiences the world. Someone living with schizophrenia may hear voices others cannot hear, believe things that are not true, or struggle to organize their thoughts. Everyday tasks, conversations, and relationships can become overwhelming.

It is not a personality flaw or a lack of willpower. Schizophrenia is a medical condition linked to complex changes in the brain and hundreds of interacting genes.

At the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, our scientists are working every day to better understand the biology behind this disease and develop more effective treatments. Every discovery brings us closer to answers.

Learn more about our research:
https://www.libd.org

Address

855 N. Wolfe Street, Suite 300
Baltimore, MD
21205

Telephone

+14109551000

Website

http://www.libd.org/, https://www.libd.org/endmentalillness

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The Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD) was established in 2010 through the historic gift of Constance & Stephen Lieber and Milton & Tamar Maltz as an independent, not-for-profit medical research institute with end-to-end capabilities under one roof. LIBD translates genetic insights into breakthrough treatments utilizing unparalleled resources in human brain tissue and human cell lines to understand the developmental origins of schizophrenia and related brain disorders. Affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, LIBD is led by Dr. Daniel Weinberger, formerly the head of the Genes, Cognition and Psychosis Program at the National Institute of Mental Health, and includes a world-class team of scientists with over 200 years’ cumulative experience and 2,500 published scientific papers. LIBD partners with academic, pharmaceutical, foundation, and government agencies world-wide. The Institute is committed to a collaborative approach and invests in building research networks and partnerships to accelerate scientific discovery.