Hye Young Lee is a neuroscientist who studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms of pathophysiology underlying autism spectrum disorders. After postdoctoral training in the Lily Jan laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco, Lee joined the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio as a faculty member in 2016.

The Lee laboratory focuses on 1) identifying the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorders and 2) using these mechanisms to develop potential therapeutics in mouse models. To address these questions, Lee uses molecular and cellular neurobiology tools, in vivo brain imaging, bioengineering and animal behavioral studies. Her lab’s most recent study demonstrated a successful rescue of exaggerated repetitive behaviors in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome by a non-viral CRISPR delivery system (Lee et al., Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2018); these findings may lead to the development of a potential gene therapeutic strategy for treating brain disorders.