Adam
Briner

Dr. Adam Briner is an Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Biochemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science where he works under the supervision of Prof. Michael Fainzilber.

Adam is investigating the molecular processes that allow peripheral nerve cells to regulate their size and growth.

Neurons emanating from the spinal cord are the longest cells in our bodies; some of their longest axons are over a metre in length. As peripheral neurons develop, their axons must elongate to innervate their targets and subsequently continue their growth in parallel with the growing organism. Similarly, peripheral nerve injury stimulates axonal (re)growth as part of the healing process. How neurons regulate such prodigious growth and sense their own lengths in both physiological and pathological settings remains enigmatic and is of fundamental importance in understanding neural function. Adam is studying the contribution of non-coding RNAs and epigenetic RNA modifications in these axonal signalling pathways with an aim to both expand our understanding of neuronal physiology and identify pro-growth therapeutic targets to aid recovery from spinal injury.

Born in Brisbane, Australia, Adam received a BSc and PhD from the University of Queensland. He completed his PhD under the supervision of Prof. Jürgen Götz, focusing on discovering novel therapeutic opportunities for Alzheimer’s disease using mouse models. After being awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, Adam spent 2021 at Stanford University, where he studied pathological mis-splicing of RNA in motor neurone disease with Prof. Aaron Gitler. Adam seeks to meld his innate curiosity with his passion for research but also enjoys ceramics, photography, bushwalking, and any sport (with varying success). He is always excited to share his research with the broader community and loves hearing the new and unexpected perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds.