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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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; :e76477. doi: 10.1002/advs.76477. PubMed PMID:42423501 PubMed Central PMC13348333.
  6. 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; :. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-59687-1. PubMed PMID:42399329 .
  7. 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 .
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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 .
  12. Gao, X, Sanui, A, Rasmika Dewi, DAP, Lucaci, AG, Mason, CE, Suzuki, H et al.. Shotgun metagenomic dataset of surface microbiomes at a train station in Shinagawa, Tokyo. BMC Genom Data. 2026;27 (1):. doi: 10.1186/s12863-026-01451-5. PubMed PMID:42286497 PubMed Central PMC13488565.
  13. Healy, HG, Hoar, C, Ahmed, W, Bibby, K, Bivins, A, Bowes, DA et al.. Wastewater Surveillance to Inform Cancer Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Interventions. Environ Sci Technol. 2026;60 (23):16390-16401. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.6c01391. PubMed PMID:42239995 .
  14. Lei, H, Du, S, Li, C, Yung, L, Wang, P, Leung, LY et al.. Sustained Chlorination of Hospital Surfaces Restructures the Microbiome and Virome and Diversifies Resistance Genes. Environ Sci Technol. 2026;60 (23):16514-16525. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.6c01505. PubMed PMID:42237904 .
  15. Sharma, G, Munteanu, V, Ghiasi, NM, Mahanta, U, Banerjee, J, Varma, S et al.. Towards a decentralized future for open-science databases. Nat Genet. 2026;58 (7):1451-1455. doi: 10.1038/s41588-026-02606-x. PubMed PMID:42156561 .
  16. Schmidt, MA, Schmidt, JC, Schmidt, CM, Jones, JA, Mason, CE. Precision Medicine in Astronauts: Principles and Targets in Molecular Assessment. Methods Mol Biol. 2026;3000 :311-346. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-5174-2_16. PubMed PMID:42151686 .
  17. Willett, JDS, Kim, J, Sakharkar, A, Park, J, Agyemang, AA, Saygili, EA et al.. The Data Science of Health in Space. Annu Rev Biomed Data Sci. 2026;9 (1):359-378. doi: 10.1146/annurev-biodatasci-092724-045605. PubMed PMID:42149965 .
  18. Wagner, J, Keskus, AG, Oshima, KK, Ranallo-Benavidez, TR, McDaniel, J, Sikic, M et al.. A complete human pancreatic cancer genome. bioRxiv. 2026; :. doi: 10.64898/2026.05.01.722316. PubMed PMID:42146349 PubMed Central PMC13174521.
  19. Hu, M, Liu, DA, Wortzel, I, Collier, P, Nelson, TM, Foox, J et al.. Activated T cell extracellular vesicle DNA transfer enhances antigen presentation and anti-tumor immunity. Cancer Cell. 2026;44 (5):965-982.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2026.03.023. PubMed PMID:42066762 PubMed Central PMC13215210.
  20. Li, Y, Wei, C, Yang, W, Wang, H, Robinson, A, Peshek, I et al.. Spatial transcriptomics atlas of inflammatory bowel disease to guide implementation in research consortiums and clinical trials. Nat Commun. 2026;17 (1):. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-72482-w. PubMed PMID:42049732 PubMed Central PMC13328602.
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