ProfessorLachlan Thompson

The Thompson Lab at the University of Sydney is a leading centre for research in neural repair, neurotherapeutics, and neural circuit reconstruction. Led by Professor Lachlan Thompson, whose career spans pioneering work in neural transplantation and stem-cell neuroscience across Australia and Europe, the lab focuses on engineering stem cell-derived neurons for integration into the damaged central nervous system.

Our lab works with human pluripotent stem cells directed to form specific neuronal subtypes across many brain regions for use in disease modelling. This includes cortical neurons for dementia and stroke repair, midbrain neurons for Parkinson’s disease and MSA, brainstem neurons for CNS-related breathing disorders, and spinal motor neurons for motor neurone disease. In parallel, we are expanding our research into the role of glial cells in neural dysfunction and repair, with a growing focus on neuron–glia interactions in neurodegenerative disease. We are also advancing the development of three-dimensional organoid and assembloid models to better recapitulate human brain architecture, connectivity, and disease progression in vitro.