Author

Richard Drexler

Stanford MedicineORCID 0000-0002-4830-3671Unclaimed ORCID profile · follow to get notified of new preprints

Biology Disciplines

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Signature Assays, Organisms & Methods

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Approach:experimental assay· 7 Research Focus:cell type annotation· 4 Research Focus:differential expression· 4 Organism:human· 4 Organism:mouse· 4 Assay:bulk RNA-seq· 3 Approach:statistical model· 3 Research Focus:cell-cell communication· 2

Frequent Co-Authors

Michelle MonjeiD· 7 shared Belgin YalçıniD· 5 shared Kiarash ShamardaniiD· 4 shared Pamelyn J. WooiD· 4 shared Rebecca A. MancusiiD· 4 shared Abigail E. RogersiD· 3 shared Dieter Henrik HeilandiD· 3 shared Karen E. MalaconiD· 3 shared

Activity by Year

2023-2026 · peak 4/yr

Co-Author Collaboration Network

10 top collaborators · 42 mutual co-author links

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Curved chords = mutual co-authorship

7 shared papersNeuroscience

Michelle MonjeORCID

Mutual co-authors in cluster

Author profile →

8 papers

Recent·Most cited

Gliomas phenocopy an inborn error of metabolism to drive neuronal activity and tumor growth

Kalil G. Abdullah, Kenji Miki, Charles K. Edgar, Shuangcheng Alivia Wu, Yi Xiao, Yuan-Tai Huang, Richard Drexler, Saritha Krishna, Vineshkumar Thidil Puliyappadamba, Li Wei Rachel Tay, Fanen Yuan, Milan R. Savani, Maged T Ghoche, Shawn E. Kotermanski, Jeffrey Isaac Traylor, , Samuel K. McBrayer

This study identifies GAA accumulation in gliomas as a driver of neuronal activity and tumor growth, linking cancer metabolism to neuroscience through GABAA receptor activation.

Cell · Sep 1, 2026Peer-reviewedCancer Biology

Dysregulated Microglial Synaptic Engulfment in Diffuse Midline Glioma

Rebecca A. Mancusi, Eva U. Tatlock, Kiarash Shamardani, Lehi Acosta-Alvarez, Richard Drexler, Vrunda S. Trivedi, Avishai Gavish, Kouta Niizuma, Neeraj Soni, Pamelyn J. Woo, Sara B. Mulinyawe, Samin Maleki Jahan, Natalie A. Logan, Karen E. Malacon, Youkyeong Gloria Byun, , Michelle Monje

This study investigates how microglial synaptic engulfment is dysregulated in diffuse midline glioma, leading to imbalanced excitatory-inhibitory synapse ratios and increased neuronal hyperexcitability.

bioRxiv · Dec 25, 2025 · PreprintNeuroscience

Serotonergic neuron-glioma interactions drive high-grade glioma pathophysiology

Richard Drexler, Belgin Yalçın, Rebecca A. Mancusi, Abigail E. Rogers, Kiarash Shamardani, Pamelyn J. Woo, Alexandre Ravel, Samuel Wu, Yahaya Abubakar Yabo, Lisa Steger, Carlos Alberto Oliveira de Biagi, Costanza Lo Cascio, Robert C. Malenka, Boris Dov Heifets, Mariella G. Filbin, , Michelle Monje

This study shows serotonergic neurons promote high-grade glioma growth via 5HT2A receptor activation, with psychedelic drugs enhancing this effect.

bioRxiv · Dec 12, 2025 · PreprintNeuroscience

Neuroligin-3 interaction with CSPG4 regulates normal and malignant glial precursors through PIEZO1

Shawn M. Gillespie, Yoon Seok Kim, Anna C. Geraghty, Belgin Yalçın, Rebecca A. Mancusi, Jared D. Hysinger, Alexis English Ivec, James E. Reed, Richard Drexler, Michael A. Quezada, Karen E. Malacon, Pamelyn J. Woo, Christopher Mount, Aerin Yang, Mable Lam, , Michelle Monje

This study identifies the NLGN3-CSPG4-PIEZO1 axis as a regulator of glial precursor cell state and glioma proliferation through mechanosensitive signaling.

bioRxiv · Jul 12, 2025 · PreprintNeuroscience

Cholinergic Neuronal Activity Promotes Diffuse Midline Glioma Growth through Muscarinic Signaling

Richard Drexler, Antonia Drinnenberg, Avishai Gavish, Belgin Yalçın, Kiarash Shamardani, Abigail E. Rogers, Rebecca A. Mancusi, Vrunda S. Trivedi, Kathryn R. Taylor, Yoon Seok Kim, Pamelyn J. Woo, Neeraj Soni, Minhui Su, Alexandre Ravel, Eva U. Tatlock, , Michelle Monje

This study shows that cholinergic neuron activity promotes both healthy OPC and DMG proliferation through muscarinic receptors, with specific nuclei driving growth in different brain regions.

Cell · Jun 19, 2025Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Characterizing and targeting glioblastoma neuron-tumor networks with retrograde tracing

Svenja Kristin Tetzlaff, Ekin Reyhan, Nikolas Layer, C. Peter Bengtson, Alina Heuer, Julian Schroers, Anton J Faymonville, Atefeh Pourkhalili Langeroudi, Nina Drewa, Elijah Keifert, Julia Wagner, Stella Judith Soyka, Marc Cicero Schubert, Nirosan Sivapalan, Rangel Lyubomirov Pramatarov, , Varun Venkataramani

This study uses retrograde tracing to characterize neuron-tumor networks in glioblastoma and shows that targeting these networks can enhance therapeutic outcomes.

Cell · Dec 6, 2024Peer-reviewedCancer Biology

Myelin plasticity in ventral tegmental area is required for opioid reward

Belgin Yalçın, Matthew B. Pomrenze, Karen E. Malacon, Richard Drexler, Abigail E. Rogers, Kiarash Shamardani, Isabelle J. Chau, Kathryn R. Taylor, Lijun Ni, Daniel Contreras-Esquivel, Robert C. Malenka, Michelle Monje

The paper shows that myelin plasticity in the ventral tegmental area, regulated by dopaminergic activity, is essential for opioid reward and dopamine release dynamics.

Nature · Jun 5, 2024Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Epigenetic neural glioblastoma enhances synaptic integration and predicts therapeutic vulnerability

Richard Drexler, Robin Khatri, Thomas Sauvigny, Malte Mohme, Cécile L. Maire, Alice Senta Ryba, Yahya Zghaibeh, Lasse Dührsen, Amanda Salviano‐Silva, Katrin Lamszus, Manfred Westphal, Jens Gempt, Annika K. Wefers, Julia E. Neumann, Helena Bode, , Franz Lennard Ricklefs

The paper identifies an epigenetic neural signature in glioblastoma that correlates with poor prognosis and therapeutic vulnerability.

bioRxiv · Aug 4, 2023 · PreprintNeuroscience