Ashley Van Zeeland facts for kids

Ashley Van Zeeland is an American neuroscientist. This means she is a scientist who studies the brain and nervous system. She also focuses on genomics, which is the study of all of a person's genes. She looks at how our genes and bodies work together (genetics) and uses living things to create new products (biotechnology).

Her work often explores conditions like autism and anorexia nervosa. For autism, she discovered that small changes in our genes can affect how different parts of the brain communicate. For anorexia nervosa, she found a link between the condition and a special protein (an enzyme) that helps control cholesterol in the body.

In 2011, Ashley Van Zeeland helped start a company called Cypher Genomics in La Jolla, California. She is the CEO of this company. Cypher Genomics works with the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Together, they help find rare genetic diseases in Amish and Mennonite patients. These groups often have more genetic diseases because they tend to marry within their communities.

Education and Career Path

Ashley Van Zeeland studied psychology at the University of Colorado Boulder. She earned her first degree (a Bachelor of Arts) in 2002. After that, she worked on different research projects.

From 2002 to 2004, she helped coordinate a study at the University of Denver. This study looked at learning disabilities in twins. Then, from 2004 to 2005, she worked at the UCLA Autism Center of Excellence.

She continued her studies and earned her PhD in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2009. For her PhD, she researched how brain imaging and genetics are connected in children with autism.

After her PhD, she worked as a consultant at the University of California San Diego. She helped with a study on autism and how the body's energy factories (mitochondria) might be involved.

In 2012, she earned another degree, an MBA, from the University of California, San Diego Rady School of Management. While studying for her MBA, she started to develop the idea for Cypher Genomics. This idea grew through special courses and a business program at her school.

From 2009 to 2011, she was a research fellow at the Scripps Translational Medicine Institute. After getting her MBA, she became a director at Scripps Genomic Medicine. There, she managed many partnerships between public and private groups. Today, she is the CEO and co-founder of Cypher Genomics.

Important Discoveries

Besides starting Cypher Genomics, Ashley Van Zeeland has also written many scientific papers. These papers share her research on both anorexia and autism.

Her work on autism showed that genetic changes are linked to how brain parts communicate. This study was published in 2010. It explained that a lack of connection in the front part of the brain might be linked to a specific gene change (CNTNAP2). This gene change can make someone more likely to have autism.

In 2013, she was the main author of a study on Anorexia Nervosa. This study looked at over 1,200 people with anorexia and over 1,900 people without it. They searched for genetic differences. The research found evidence that a change in the EPHX2 gene might be linked to anorexia nervosa. This gene change was also connected to higher cholesterol levels.

Awards and Recognitions

Ashley Van Zeeland has received several awards for her important work.

• In 2013, she was named a "San Diego Young Influential." This award recognizes young business leaders who are making a big impact.
• In 2012, her company's business idea, Cypher Genomics, was a finalist in a competition called PitchFest. Their idea was chosen from hundreds of others.
• In 2011, she was part of a program called mystartupXX. This program helps women start technology companies. It received a large grant to support its mission.
• In 2010, she won the International Society for Autism Research Neurobiological Dissertation Award. This was for her PhD work on how genetic changes affect brain communication in autism.
• She was also named a Dickinson Fellow in 2009.
• In 2007, she received a special award from the National Institutes of Health. This award helps students who are working on their PhDs in research.