Benjamin Clayton
Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, School of Medicine
Faculty member of the Institute for Glial Sciences
Area of Focus: Glial Cells Research
Ben Clayton is transforming our understanding of brain health by researching astrocytes—often-overlooked brain cells that play a crucial role in neurological diseases like Parkinson’s disease.
Astrocytes are a type of glial cell—non-neural cells that protect neurons—and the most abundant glial cells in the brain.
Astrocytes perform a myriad of functions necessary for proper brain health but can also “go rogue,” and contribute to disease progression, Clayton said. His research explores how these cells can become “toxic.”
Underlying astrocyte dysfunction appears to be a common thread across diverse conditions— from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to traumatic brain injuries and genetic mutations—suggesting potential for broad therapeutic impact.
Clayton’s pioneering work aims to tackle astrocyte dysfunction through multiple methods: seeking drugs that prevent the astrocytes from going rogue; reprogramming these crucial brain cells to be beneficial to combat debilitating neurological conditions; and developing compounds that could block toxicity once the astrocytes do “go rogue.”
In an extensive drug screen of 3,200 compounds, Clayton and his team identified approximately 30 drugs capable of preventing astrocytes from becoming toxic. One drug that works by blocking a protein necessary for astrocytes to become toxic showed significant neuroprotective potential, according to findings published in Nature Neuroscience last year.
In addition to preventing toxicity, Clayton is exploring ways to address it once it happens. He envisions a future where researchers can “convert damaging brain cells into beneficial ones,” potentially slowing or even stopping neurological disease progression.
His current research involves testing compounds in various disease models, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.
Clayton began studying brain health as an undergraduate student at the University of Utah and received his PhD from the University of Chicago. As a CWRU postdoctoral researcher, he joined Paul Tesar’s lab, drawn by the innovative approach to glial cell research and potential for clinical translation. Tesar founded the Institute for Glial Sciences, of which Clayton is a faculty member.
“There aren’t many places that are building what we’re trying to build here,” Clayton said. The institute’s “research focuses specifically on these glial cells in the brain and developing glial targeted medicines to benefit patients.”
Now, as a faculty member with a growing lab of seven researchers, including graduate students and undergraduates, Clayton continues to push the boundaries of our understanding of brain cell function.
“The dream would be to stop astrocytes from doing harmful things and instead convert them into a beneficial state,” he explains—a goal that could pave the way for a new generation of treatments to transform the lives of those living with neurological diseases.