Welcome to the Dallman Lab Website!
Our research uses zebrafish to better understand how changes in genes affect behavior.
Our research uses zebrafish to better understand how changes in genes affect behavior.
News Fall 2025
- Julia is on sabbatical and stays in Miami to focus on research! Projects include Blue muffins and symptom-tracking people with Phelan McDermid Syndrome and GRIN2B, a collaboration with Maike Dorne, and molecular analyses of zebrafish autism models.
- Co-autor on review about animal models of Phelan-McDermid Syndrome: Lin V, Matta SM, Dallman JE, Hosie S, Moreau M, Franks AE, Bourgeron T, Hill-Yardin EL (2025) A Frank Assessment of SHANK: Impacts of Pathogenic Variations in SHANK3 on Preclinical Models of Phelan McDermid Syndrome. Autism Research https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.70112
- Julia Dallman and Calliope Holingue attend GRICON2025 in Orlando to meet this wonderful community, introduce them to blue muffins and Stripes symptom tracker, and conduct GI symptom focus groups.
- 2025-26 Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience Simon’s Foundation supports SURFiN Fellow Orianna Osorio mentored by Millie Rogers, SURFiN Fellows Medyen Jubran and Marie Hernandez mentored by Adhikansch Jain in mentoring , and SURFiN Fellow Tiolu Ladipo mentored by Lidia Garcia Pradas.
- Millie Rogers publishes Rogers ME, Garcia-Pradas L, Thom SA, Vazquez RA, Dallman JE. (2025) "Going with the flow:sensorimotor integration along the zebrafish GI tract." Cells 14(15):1170.
- Roberto Vazquez, Lauren Rico-Gabriel, and Ilana Simmons graduate from the University of Miami. Congratulations!!
- Simon's Foundation funds Pilot Progression Grant to CoPIs Dallman and Rawls to investigate "Gut-intrinsic mechanisms of gastrointestinal dysmotility in animal models of autism."
- Check out Phelan-McDermid podcast about blue muffin project Convos with Lauren Schmitt
- Julia starts her one-year term as Interim Chair of the Biology Department!
- CureGRIN Foundation funds "Characterization of Gastrointestinal Function using Blue Dye and symptom tracking among people with GRIN2B-Neurodevelopmental Disorder and a zebrafish model of grin2b." brings expertise from Drs. Baharak Moshiree (Atrium Health/Wake Forest; adult GI/motility specialist), Calliope Holingue (Kennedy Kreiger/John's Hopkins; GI symptoms in autism public health specialist), Billie Bennett (Riley Children's Hospital; pediatric GI specialist whose daughter has Phelan-McDermid syndrome), Barbara Millet (University of Miami/Communications; specialist in design of user interfaces for mobile applications--in this case STRiPES coded by Dylan Baker @ Symplify LLC), and Julia Dallman (University of Miami; basic scientist specializing in GI function in zebrafish models of autism).
- SYNGAP Research Fund awards "Screening pro-gastrointestinal-motility compounds for efficacy in a zebrafish model of SYNGAP1-related disorder." This project is testing the efficacy of available interventions for their ability to improve GI transit time in the zebrafish SYNGAP model. Those that speed GI transit will the be tested for their effects on growth and sleep as well as their compatibility with anti-seizure medications.
- Congratulations to double biology and Music major Ezinne Nweke on mastering PCR and graduating from UM!
- Congratulations to Co-mentee (with Dr. Mason Klien) Nikolas Polizos on successfully defending his dissertation entitled "The neural basis for thermal memory in Drosophila melanogaster."
- Julia attends the in-person Phelan McDermid Family Conference at Mall of America in Minneapolis! Great to meet so many families, other scientists, clinicians, and Rick Guidotti (https://positiveexposure.org/) who was photographing all these beautiful people and interactions.
- Congratulations to Simone Thom, Ilana Simmons, and Lianet Jimenez on being selected as 2024-2025 SURFiN Fellows! Congratulations also go to their mentors Mille Rogers and Adhi Jain!
- Welcome to Lidia Garcia-Pradas who is starting as a technician in the Dallman lab!
- Kicked off the spring semester with a wonderful graduate student symposium at Fairchild Tropical Garden with Dr. Kevin Collins as the keynote speaker, Adhi giving his first poster presentation, and Millie giving her first oral presentation!
- Julia teaches BIL 299 Research Problems in Biology for the first time!
- Thank you to Biology alumna Suha Khan, Elan Tran, Annie Goulart, Dr. Michael Venincasa (MD), Dr. Maggie White (PhD), and Dr. Celina Juliano (PhD) and UM professors Dr. Athula Wikramanayake (PhD), Dr. Vivek Prakash (PhD), Dr. Tiffani Janae Houston (MD/PhD) , Dr. Antoni Luque (PhD), Dr. Kevin McCracken (PhD), and Dr. Delia Shelton for sharing their professional journeys.
- Thank you for visiting the lab Baha Moshiree (MD) and sharing your wisdom about GI motility!
- Thank you to our Distinguished Black History Month Speaker UM Alumna Dr. Christie Towers https://towers.salk.edu/christie/ for her inspiring research and DEI seminars to UMBio.
- Thank you to Dr Lihua Ye for your wonderful research seminar to UMBio and for inspiring the Dallman lab with your innovative work!
- Julia attends the SFARI investigator meeting in NYC!
- Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN) Fellows Simone Thom, and Rebecca Menendez present their work in New York, accompanied by their mentor Millie Rogers.
- Dr. Amy Zanne organizes a really productive and enjoyable UMBio faculty retreat at the Kampong National Tropical Botanical Garden.
- Julia, Ezinne, Adhi, and Mille participate in outreach event "DNA Day" at Frost Science. Thank you to Dr. Holly Cukier for organizing and including us!
- Welcome to graduate student Adhi Jain who is starting his PhD in the Biology graduate program!
- Welcome to undergraduate researchers Ilana Simmons, Shannon Graham, Isaac Liu, Javier White, Simone Thom, Rebecca Menendez, and Ezinne Nweke!
- Congratulations to Simone Thom and Rebecca Menendez on being awarded Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Neuroscience (SURFiN) from the Simon's Foundation!!
- Phelan McDermid Gastrointestinal Research study is funded by the Phelan-McDermid syndrome Foundation! https://pmsf.org/dallman-lab/ This highly collaborative project "Validation of a Novel, Inexpensive, Home-Based Gastrointestinal Transit Test among People with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome" brings expertise from Drs. Billie Bennett (Riley Children's Hospital; pediatric GI specialist whose daughter has Phelan-McDermid syndrome), Baharak Moshiree (Atrium Health/Wake Forest; adult GI/motility specialist), Calliope Holingue (Kennedy Kreiger/John's Hopkins; GI symptoms in autism public health specialist),Barbara Millet (University of Miami/Communications; specialist in design of user interfaces for mobile applications--in this case STRiPES coded by Dylan Baker @ Symplify LLC), and Julia Dallman (University of Miami; basic scientist specializing in GI function in zebrafish models of autism).
- New publication! Version 2 (updated in response to peer-review) of F1000 "Drugs prescribed for Phelan-McDermid syndrome differentially impact sensory behaviors in shank3 zebrafish models." is published https://f1000research.com/articles/12-84
- New publication! "Gastrointestinal Dysfunction in Genetically Defined Neurodevelopmental Disorders" by Elizabeth A. Davidson, Calliope Holingue, Andres Jimenez-Gomez, Julia E. Dallman, Baharak Moshiree is published in a special issue of Seminars in Neurology https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0043-1771460
- New preprint! "Context-dependent hyperactivity in syngap1a and syngap1b zebrafish autism models." by Sureni H. Sumathipala, Suha Khan, Robert A. Kozol, Yoichi Araki, Sheyum Syed, Richard L. Huganir, and Julia E. Dallman. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.20.557316v1
- Julia is honored to serve on the National Institutes of Health DNPD (Digestive and Nutrient Physiology and Diseases) study section in June.
- Millie Rogers is selected to participate in University of Miami Graduate Schools 2023 Teaching Academy during which she will develop curriculum and teach a class for "Science Documentary: Music and the Brain." Congratulations Millie!
- Elizabeth Davidson defends her doctoral dissertation "The Gut-Brain-Microbiome Axis in gastrointestinal dysfunction in zebrafish models of Autism Spectrum Disorder"! Congratulations Dr. Davidson!
- Julia presents "Pilot study shows Blue Food Colouring in Muffins provides a non-invasive, objective measure of gastrointestinal function in people across the autism spectrum." on behalf of coauthors , Barbara Millet, Dylan R. Baker, Andres Jimenez-Gomez, and Baharak Moshiree at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting in Stockholm Sweden.
- Julia Dallman and Jim Virga are awarded the 2023 Provost Teaching Award for the class they have team taught on Science Documentary that has alternated between "autism" and "music and the brain". See Science Documentary link on this website for a sampling of student projects from these courses.
- Millie, Melissa, Fabrizio, Isaac, and Julia host the "Baby sharks" table at Frost Science Museum's DNA Day. Thank you to Dr. Holly Cukier for the invitation to participate and for coordinating!
- Millie Rogers is awarded $500 from the Biology Evoy Fund to support Graduate Research! Congratulations Millie!
- Suha Kahn is hired as a research technician in Dr. Ellen Hoffman's lab at Yale University! Congratulations Suha!
- After recognition as Outstanding Biology Senior Award and graduating with Honors in Biology, Fabrizio Darby commits to pursuing his medical degree at Yale University! Congratulations Fabrizio!
- Annie Goulart graduates and is off to one of the top vet programs in the country @ UC Davis! Congratulations Annie!
- Vic Song graduates and plans to take a gap year to apply for medical school! Congratulations Vic!
- Julia presents the lab's research "Gut sensorimotor deficits in zebrafish autism models and easy gut function measures in people with autism." at the SFARI PI meeting in NYC.
- Millie Rogers is selected as a Simons Foundation SURFiN Mentor https://www.simonsfoundation.org/surfin-program-lab-opportunities/ congratulations Millie!
- Drs. Rob Kozol and Julia Dallman publish "Drugs prescribed for Phelan-McDermid syndrome differentially impact sensory behaviors in shank3 zebrafish models." in Faculty 1000 https://f1000research.com/articles/12-84
- Elizabeth, Melissa, and Millie present posters of their research at the Annual Biology Graduate Student Research Symposium at the Fairchild Tropical Garden.
- Melissa Ifidzhen will be joining UMBio to pursue her PhD and is rotating in the lab this fall. Welcome Melissa!
- Natalie Dohorty graduates with honors in Biochemistry! Congratulations Natalie!
- Pilot Blue muffin study in people with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome and SYNGAP1 launches at Atrium Health led by Dr. Baharak Moshiree with help from Dr. Jessica Sang and amazing coordinators Jessica Kearney-Bryan, Jamie Crawford, and Li Thomanzetto-Finzetto. Thank you to participating families!
- Graduate Student Sureni Sumathipala successfully defends her dissertation work on "Context-dependent hyperactivity in syngap1a and syngap1b zebrafish models of ASD/ID." She will be moving to North Carolina in September to start her post doctoral training with Kurt Marsden https://bio.sciences.ncsu.edu/people/kcmarsde/. Congratulations Dr. Sumathipala!
- Graduate student Elizabeth Davidson attends the International Zebrafish Conference in Montreal and gets lots of feedback on her work using genetically encoded calcium indicators to quantify nutrient-sensing in zebrafish models of SYNGAP1 syndrome. Congratulations Elizabeth!
- Masters student Millie Rogers transfers to the PhD program. Congratulations Millie!
- With support form the Simon's Foundation, rising senior Suha Khan is hired as a technician to help outcross and genotype the shank3abC ASD model for submission to the Zebrafish International Resource Center in Eugene Oregon. Congratulations Suha!
- Rising senior Nathalie Doherty is awarded a UM Beyond the Books Fellowship to conduct summer research. Congratulations Nathalie!
- Rising senior Fabrizio Darby is selected to participate in the BP-ENDURE Neuroscience Pipeline summer program at Washington University in St Louis. Congratulations Fabrizio!
- Rising junior Asia Almarales is selected for a summer SPARK internship at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. Congratulations Asia!
- Julia, April Mann, Barbara Whitlock, Adina Sanchez-Garcia, and Nikki Traylor-Knowles attend STEM write Institute at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis to learn strategies for using writing in large lecture classes as a way to enhance learning. Though we were warned it would be hot, we Miamians found the weather quite refreshing.
- Julia attends SFARI PI meeting in NYC.
- Julia presents lab research at Keystone Symposium Conference on the Gut Brain Axis in Banff Canada.
- Julia and Dr. Baha Moshiree talk at the NIH R13-sponsored Candid Conference focusing on the need for more research into the underlying causes of gastrointestinal symptoms in autism http://www.candidgi.com/presentations/
- Jessica Sang, a GI Fellow working with Dr. Baha Moshiree wins Wake Forest Shark Tank for her project “Constipation Blues: A Novel Non-Invasive Gut Transit Test”. that uses a web application, Stripes Symptom Tracker and a Blue Muffin meal, prepared the Naked Tart Bakery as a non-invasive, objective measure of gut motility that can be done at home.
- Undergraduate Asia Almarales joins the lab! Welcome!
- Our work is highlighted in an article from Spectrum by Sarah Deweerdt: https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/what-studying-worms-flies-and-fish-says-about-autism/
- Julia Dallman participates in the third annual synapse round table at the American Epilepsy Society: https://www.syngapresearchfund.org/webinars/3rd-annual-synapse-roundtable
- Undergraduates Caroline Baum, Vic Song, and Natalie Doherty join the lab! Welcome!
- Collaboration with Dr. Baharak Moshiree, Dr. Andres Jimenez Gomes, and Dylan Baker to better understand GI symptoms in people with Phelan McDermid Syndrome and SYNGAP1 gets going with the first virtual session June 30th. Thank you to all participants!
- See a webinar from April that outlines our integrative approach to understanding GI and neurological comorbidities:https://www.syngapresearchfund.org/webinars/an-integrated-approach-to-investigating-gi-and-neurological-comorbidities-caused-by-syngap1-with-drs-dallman-jimenez-moshiree
- See our review "The Gut-Brain-Microbiome Axis and Its Link to Autism: Emerging Insights and the Potential of Zebrafish Models" published in Front. Cell Dev. Biol., 15 April 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2021.662916 spearheaded by David James with coauthors Elizabeth Davidson, Julio Yanes, Baharak Moshiree, and Julia Dallman.
- Preprint of co-first authors Rob Kozol and David James show importance of a brainstem nucleus for a visually-evoked behavior in a two zebrafish models of Phelan-McDermid Syndrome https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-83115/v1
- Our highly collaborative study is out today! "Elevated preoptic brain activity in zebrafish glial glycine transporter mutants is linked to lethargy-like behaviors and delayed emergence from anesthesia" in Scientific Reports https://rdcu.be/ceK1m It has been years in the making, is based on a patient case study that provided the motivation for an undergraduate neuroscience lab that I designed when I first arrived at UM 14 years ago. In the case study, a young girl with a genetic condition is anesthetized for a surgery, and when the anesthetic is removed, she does not wake up over the expected time-course. We used a zebrafish model of the genetic condition to show that we could mimic the delayed emergence from anesthesia seen in the girl and identified the altered brain activity in the zebrafish that likely accounts for the delayed emergence described in the case study.
- Dallman and Rawls labs initiate a new collaboration 'Gut intrinsic mechanisms of gastrointestinal dysmotiliy in animal models of ASD.' funded by a SFARI Pilot Award from the Simon's Foundation.
- Basic Science/Clinical collaboration between Dallman lab, Dr. Baharak Moshiree, and Dr. Andres Jimenez Gomez examining links between GI and neurological symptoms in ASD is recognized by a Center of Excellence designation from the Bridge the Gap Foundation. https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5e7ced60aea037a7057ea9cb/5effd1c7b01d26cf598dea8b_SYNGAP1%20Resource%20GUIDE%20(2)_2020_Small.pdf
- Development of a non-invasive whole gut transit assay for children, 'Smurf Cakes' developed with Dr. Baharak Moshiree as well as work from the Dallman lab are highlighted in an article written by Peter Hess from Spectrum News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/zebrafish-and-smurf-cakes-link-autism-gene-mutation-to-digestive-woes
- Work from the Dallman lab and live zebrafish are part of the Power of Science exhibit at Frost Science! https://www.frostscience.org/exhibition/powerofscience/
- #Black Lives Matter
In the Dallman lab, we aim to foster a research environment that is welcoming. We are committed to taking a stand against all forms of racism. We strive to promote lab culture that helps to equalize opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds. By listening to and learning from one another, we believe that we can make a safer, more inspiring and more productive workplace to improve both science and society. This is a living document we will revisit and amend once per semester. - Labs on the Coral Gables Campus are initiating the first round of returning to research with SOPs for shift work, PPE, and physical distancing.
- Dr. Elena Buglo successfully defends her dissertation remotely! Congratulations Elena!!
- Dr. Elena Buglo publishes Genetic compensation in a stable slc25a46 mutant zebrafish: A case for using F0 CRISPR mutagenesis to study phenotypes caused by inherited disease. in Plos ONE. Congratulations Elena!
- Arryanna Jordan joins the lab. Welcome Arryanna!
- Fabrizio Darby joins the lab. Welcome Fabrizio!
- Julio Yanes joins the lab as a five-year BS/MS, pursuing his research masters. Welcome Julio!
- Chia-Jung joins the lab as a rotation student. Welcome Chia-Jung!
- The lab is collaborating with Frost Museum of Science www.frostscience.org on a zebrafish exhibit. Stay tuned...
- Julia and Sureni will remotely attend TAGC in Washington DC April 22-26 2020
- Ann Goulart joins the lab. Welcome Annie!
- Congratulations to David James--selected for a talk @ Zebrafish Neural Circuits & Behavior, Cold Spring Harbor NY, November 20-23 (2019)
- Congratulations to Hamzeh Alturk (undergraduate)--he won the 2019 ABRCMS presentation award in the Neuroscience section, Anaheim CA November 13-16 (2019).
- Sandra and Julia organize the first Southeast Regional Zebrafish Conference at Fairchild Tropical Garden December 13, 2019
- Congratulations to Ivan Varela- wins best undergraduate poster award @ SRZC.