Ellen Hoffman, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine

SFARI Investigator Website

Ellen Hoffman is an assistant professor and child psychiatrist at the Yale Child Study Center.

The focus of research in the Hoffman laboratory is to understand the biological mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to discover new pharmacological treatments. To accomplish this, the Hoffman laboratory uses zebrafish as a model system to investigate the function of ASD risk genes in the developing vertebrate brain and the neural circuits underlying simple behaviors. They also perform high-throughput pharmacological screens in this model system. The long-term goal is to use this approach to identify relevant biological pathways and novel pharmacological treatments for ASD.

Funded Projects

Translating drug discovery findings in zebrafish models of autism risk genes to mouse models

Awarded: 2018
Award Type: Research

High-throughput drug discovery in zebrafish models of autism risk genes

Awarded: 2015
Award Type: Pilot

SFARI Funded Publications

High-throughput functional analysis of autism genes in zebrafish identifies convergence in dopaminergic and neuroimmune pathways. Weinschutz Mendes H., Neelakantan U., Liu Y., Fitzpatrick S.E., Chen T., Wu W., Pruitt A., Jin D.S., Jamadagni P., Carlson M., Lacadie C.M., Enriquez K.D., Li N., Zhao D., Ijaz S., Sakai C., Szi C., Rooney B., Ghosh M., Nwabudike I., Gorodezky A., Chowdhury S., Zaheer M., McLaughlin S., Fernandez J.M., Wu J., Eilbott J.A., Vander Wyk B., Rihel J., Papademetris X., Wang Z., Hoffman E.

PTEN mutations in autism spectrum disorder and congenital hydrocephalus: Developmental pleiotropy and therapeutic targets. DeSpenza T. Jr., Carlson M., Panchagnula S., Robert S., Duy P.Q., Mermin-Bunnell N., Reeves B.C., Kundishora A., Elsamadicy A.A., Smith H., Ocken J., Alper S.L., Jin S.C., Hoffman E., Kahle K., Valdivia Espino J.

De novo damaging DNA coding mutations are associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder and overlap with Tourette’s disorder and autism. Cappi C., Oliphant M.E., Péter Z., Zai G., do Rosário M.C., Sullivan C.A.W., Gupta A., Hoffman E., Virdee M., Olfson E., Abdallah S.B., Willsey A. J., Shavitt R.G., Miguel E.C., Kennedy J.L., Richter M.A., Fernandez T.