Christopher Mason, Ph.D.

Professor of Physiology and Biophysics

  • Director, WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction and WorldQuant Foundation Research Scholar
  • Professor of Computational Genomics in Computational Biomedicine in the Institute for Computational Biomedicine
  • Professor of Neuroscience in the Brain and Mind Institute (secondary appointment)

646-962-5643

1305 York Avenue, Room Y-13.15
New York, NY 10021

Lab website: http://www.masonlab.net

Techniques

Research Areas

Member of:

Research Summary:

We utilize computational and experimental methodologies to identify and characterize the essential genetic elements that guide the function of the human genome, with a particular emphasis on the elements that orchestrate the development of the human brain. Our lab creates detailed cell-specific molecular maps of genetic, epigenetic, transcriptional, and translational activity, creating a draft of the molecular recipe for the creation of the brain. We also develop methods to detect, catalog and functionally annotate variants in the genetic pathways that control developmental processes and how they are perturbed to create disease. We aim to understand of the functional elements of the human genome well enough to enable, eventually, the ability to repair, re-engineer, or fortify these genetic networks within human cells.

Recent Publications:

  1. Mason, C, Ungemach, A, Ayuba, G. Left Atrial Myxoma. Circulation. 2026;154 (16):1649. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.126.081728. PubMed PMID:42896000 .
  2. Wangprapa, P, Nagy-Szakal, D, Wells, HL, Fidler, G, Techasathit, W, Couto-Rodriguez, M et al.. Potential clinical actionability of metagenomic next-generation sequencing for antimicrobial stewardship for urinary tract infections: a retrospective, single-centre, BI-Biotia UTI cohort study. Int J Infect Dis. 2026; :109181. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2026.109181. PubMed PMID:42874851 .
  3. Schmidt, MA, Schmidt, CM, Schmidt, JC, Meydan, C, Afshin, EE, Overbey, EG et al.. Systemic elevation of gut derived p-cresol during one year in space: implications for brain, heart, bone, liver and microbiome in astronauts. Front Physiol. 2026;17 :1878680. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2026.1878680. PubMed PMID:42866036 PubMed Central PMC13655695.
  4. Mu, WC, Baechle, J, Schneider, K, Fuentealba, M, Wu, F, Manwaring-Mueller, M et al.. Simulated microgravity induces aging phenotypes in human organoids. bioRxiv. 2026; :. doi: 10.64898/2026.09.30.755771. PubMed PMID:42856581 PubMed Central PMC13648711.
  5. Gupta, R, Dongre, R, Langston, W, Stephanian, B, Alsawaf, A, Panzo, N et al.. Ocular Changes in Human Spaceflight. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2026; :101535. doi: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2026.101535. PubMed PMID:42855039 .
  6. Nachman, R, Kopacz, A, Unkenholz, C, Chai, J, Ruiz, A, Valencia, I et al.. Correction: spatial remodeling of bone marrow architecture defines tissue-state signatures of disease activity and therapeutic response in myelodysplastic neoplasms. Leukemia. 2026; :. doi: 10.1038/s41375-026-03090-2. PubMed PMID:42844346 .
  7. Can Kurt, K, Katzin, LF, Tamaddon, L, Arslan, A, Lucaci, AG, Mason, CE et al.. Adaptive Response of Escherichia coli to Pexiganan: Insights from Genomic Analysis. Antibiotics (Basel). 2026;15 (9):. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics15090825. PubMed PMID:42791974 PubMed Central PMC13603602.
  8. Nelson, TM, Sakharkar, A, Rose, JK, Walter, CE, Cervantes-Navarro, GL, Schmidt, CM et al.. Spaceflight-guided pharmacogenomics: a foundational analysis of pharmaceuticals and their responsive gene targets in the space environment. Front Physiol. 2026;17 :1879838. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2026.1879838. PubMed PMID:42769202 PubMed Central PMC13590397.
  9. Shi, L, Bao, W, Culhane, AC, Fang, X, Furlanello, C, Hao, R et al.. Ensuring multiomics data reproducibility for artificial intelligence with reference materials as a common calibrator. Nat Biotechnol. 2026;44 (9):1433-1436. doi: 10.1038/s41587-026-03267-1. PubMed PMID:42680824 .
  10. Yarar, E, Altundag, A, Mason, CE, Aschner, M, Harbi, E. The Endoterpenoid System: A Membrane-Based Logic Framework for Integrating Cannabinoid, Olfactory, and Lipid-Sensitive Receptor Crosstalk. J Neurosci Res. 2026;104 (8):e70147. doi: 10.1002/jnr.70147. PubMed PMID:42576458 PubMed Central PMC13458236.
  11. LeRoy, E, Kim, J, Ruland, H, Schanzer, N, Sakharkar, A, Innes, L et al.. Long-term major histocompatibility complex class I suppression in astronauts and clinical implications. Commun Biol. 2026;9 (1):. doi: 10.1038/s42003-026-10550-z. PubMed PMID:42562863 PubMed Central PMC13448508.
  12. Gedman, GL, Pirovich, KM, Oppenheimer, J, Hyseni, C, Cassatt-Johnstone, M, Lucaci, AG et al.. On the ancestry and evolution of the extinct dire wolf. Cell Genom. 2026;6 (8):101306. doi: 10.1016/j.xgen.2026.101306. PubMed PMID:42508403 PubMed Central PMC13477035.
  13. Gao, Z, Wu, J, Lucaci, AG, Ouyang, J, Wang, L, Ryon, KA et al.. Diversity and distinctive characteristics of the global RNA virome in urban and peri-urban environments. Nat Commun. 2026;17 (1):. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-73605-z. PubMed PMID:42463489 PubMed Central PMC13377081.
  14. Yin, Y, Xu, R, Makarczyk, MJ, Liu, JJ, Liu, S, Shi, MZ et al.. Kaempferol Attenuates Spaceflight-Associated Knee Cartilage Degradation by Targeting NOX4-Mediated Mitochondrial Dysfunction. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2026;13 (48):e76477. doi: 10.1002/advs.76477. PubMed PMID:42423501 PubMed Central PMC13348333.
  15. Davis, ET, Afshin, EE, Stratigakis, N, Bard, JE, Sharpe, J, Zhang, Q et al.. Microbial characterization of oral microbiome in patients with open-angle glaucoma. Sci Rep. 2026;16 :. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-59687-1. PubMed PMID:42399329 PubMed Central PMC13630543.
  16. Lewy, T, Sierra, MA, Pourshadi, N, Hoffmann, HH, Dinnon, KH 3rd, Gola, A et al.. Brain endothelial cells orchestrate a neuroprotective antiviral state in the CNS in response to peripheral viral pattern sensing. Immunity. 2026;59 (7):1825-1842.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2026.06.009. PubMed PMID:42392076 PubMed Central PMC13532049.
  17. Caruso, KE, Kleinman, AS, Darrow, C, Dieser, M, Smith, HJ, Chin, CR et al.. Five genome sequences of bacterial environmental isolates from Gilkey Glacier, Juneau Icefield, Alaska. Microbiol Resour Announc. 2026;15 (8):e0142025. doi: 10.1128/mra.01420-25. PubMed PMID:42390447 PubMed Central PMC13460035.
  18. Nachman, R, Kopacz, A, Unkenholz, C, Chai, J, Ruiz, A, Valencia, I et al.. Spatial remodeling of bone marrow architecture defines tissue-state signatures of disease activity and therapeutic response in myelodysplastic neoplasms. Leukemia. 2026;40 (8):1748-1762. doi: 10.1038/s41375-026-03029-7. PubMed PMID:42380663 PubMed Central PMC13421341.
  19. Zhang, WZ, Kim, K, Bhatia, D, Faherty, L, Simmons, W, Kallinos, E et al.. Targeting macrophage ferritin heavy chain mitigates ferroptosis and lung injury in experimental acute respiratory distress syndrome. Nat Commun. 2026;17 (1):. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-74828-w. PubMed PMID:42364999 PubMed Central PMC13454589.
  20. Appleton, E, Korover, N, Hong, K, Ambriz-Peña, X, Tanaka, Y, Ashkenazy-Titelman, A et al.. Derivation of elephant induced pluripotent stem cells. Nat Methods. 2026;23 (7):1399-1410. doi: 10.1038/s41592-026-03136-4. PubMed PMID:42332088 .
Search PubMed