Dmitry Velmeshev

Assistant Professor of Neurobiology

The goal of the Velmeshev lab is to understand normal human brain development and neurodevelopmental diseases at the single cell level.​ We are particularly interested in gaining a holistic view of how genetic programs instruct neural progenitors that give rise to the diverse cell types of the brain and guide formation of neuronal circuits, and how these processes are affected in brain disorders, such as autism.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Assistant Professor of Neurobiology
  • Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Contact Information

  • Email Address: dmitry.velmeshev@duke.edu

Education

  • Ph.D. University of Miami, 2016

Courses Taught

  • NEUROSCI 494: Research Independent Study 2
  • NEUROSCI 493: Research Independent Study 1
  • NEUROBIO 790S: Student Seminar (Topics)
  • NEUROBIO 735: Quantitative Approaches in Neurobiology
  • NEUROBIO 393: Research Independent Study
  • CMB 710E: Cell & Molecular Biology Module V

Representative Publications

  • Zhang, Zijian, Jing Xu, Elizabeth A. Matthews, Samantha Deasy, Lewei He, Diego Arroyo, Enhui Pan, et al. “Circuit-specific gene editing for precision modulation of neuronal activity with CRISPR-rabies virus.” BioRxiv, November 7, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.03.686433.
  • Perez, Yonatan, Dmitry Velmeshev, Li Wang, Matthew L. White, Clara Siebert, Jennifer Baltazar, Guolong Zuo, et al. “Single-cell analysis of dup15q syndrome reveals developmental and postnatal molecular changes in autism.” Nat Commun 16, no. 1 (July 4, 2025): 6177. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61184-4.
  • Xu, Jing, Zihan Yan, Sangsu Bang, Dmitry Velmeshev, and Ru-Rong Ji. “GPR37L1 identifies spinal cord astrocytes and protects neuropathic pain after nerve injury.” Neuron 113, no. 8 (April 16, 2025): 1206-1222.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2025.01.012.
  • Gao, Yudong, Daichi Shonai, Matthew Trn, Jieqing Zhao, Erik J. Soderblom, S Alexandra Garcia-Moreno, Charles A. Gersbach, et al. “Proximity analysis of native proteomes reveals phenotypic modifiers in a mouse model of autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions.” Nat Commun 15, no. 1 (August 9, 2024): 6801. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51037-x.
  • Yuan, Yuan, Huizhong Li, Kashyap Sreeram, Tuyana Malankhanova, Ravindra Boddu, Samuel Strader, Allison Chang, et al. “Single molecule array measures of LRRK2 kinase activity in serum link Parkinson's disease severity to peripheral inflammation.” Mol Neurodegener 19, no. 1 (June 11, 2024): 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-024-00738-4.