Media Advisory: UB symposium to spotlight researcher behind FOXG1 drug undergoing clinical trials

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo’s Spotlight Symposia Series returns this weekend to honor Soo-Kyung Lee, director of the FOXG1 Research Center at UB, a parent of a child with FOXG1 syndrome and the lead researcher behind a FOXG1 drug currently undergoing clinical trials.

Members of the news media are invited to attend the symposium’s opening event Friday in Slee Hall on the North Campus. 

The series honors College of Arts and Sciences faculty by inviting distinguished speakers to campus who share their research interests. This second symposium in the series, “Master Switches of the Mind: Gene Regulation and Neurodevelopmental Disorders,” will place Lee at the center of critical conversations around the role that genes play in the health of the human brain.

Lee, PhD, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor and the Om P. Bahl Endowed Professor in the UB Department of Biological Sciences, has conducted pioneering work on how gene expression influences both development and defects of the central nervous system. 

After her daughter Yuna was diagnosed with FOXG1 syndrome at age 2, Lee and her husband, Jae Lee, PhD, professor of biological sciences, became experts on the rare neurodevelopmental disorder. 

The Lees have developed a viral gene therapy shown to reverse some brain abnormalities in mice with FOXG1 syndrome, including in parts of the brain associated with language, memory and social interaction. The therapy was cleared for clinical trials in January by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and studies began earlier this month.

What: The opening event of this year’s Spotlight Symposia Series, including a keynote address, Q&A and musical performance.

When: Friday, April 24, from 3:15 to 5 p.m.

Where: Lippes Concert Hall, located in Slee Hall on UB’s North Campus

Who: 

• Soo-Kyung Lee, director of the FOXG1 Research Center at UB
• Jae Lee, professor of biological sciences
• Venu Govindaraju, senior vice president for research, innovation and economic development
• Jeff Grabill, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
• Derek Daniels, chair and professor of the Department of Biological Sciences
• Hugo J. Bellen, Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine and the symposium's keynote speaker.

Note to media: Soo-Kyung Lee and Jae Lee will be available after the event for interviews. 

More background on FOXG1: FOXG1 syndrome is caused by a mutation in the FOXG1 gene — one of the most essential genes for early brain development — and can lead to cognitive and physical disabilities, along with life-threatening seizures. 

Although this mutation is rare, the FOXG1 gene has also been linked to autism spectrum disorder and certain cancers, suggesting potential relevance for more common conditions.

The Lees launched the FOXG1 Research Center in 2024 with the support of the UB Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development, as well as the FOXG1 Research Foundation.