In the bustling labs of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, professor Richard Sando’s enthusiasm for neuroscience is palpable. His eyes light up as he discusses the intricacies of synapses and neural circuits. It is hard to imagine that this same man once received a D-minus in his high school AP Biology class.
“It was very uninspiring the way it was taught,” said Sando, an assistant professor of Pharmacology, faculty affiliate of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Member. That early setback, however, did nothing to dampen his passion for science. In fact, it is a testament to the unpredictable nature of scientific discovery — a theme that has defined Sando’s career and recently earned him one of the most prestigious recognitions in his field.
In 2024, the National Institutes of Health awarded Sando a New Innovator Award, part of their High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. This award, which provides $1,500,000 over five years, supports early-career scientists proposing innovative and impactful research that might not get funded in the traditional peer-review process due to its inherent risk.
For Sando, a first-generation college student from a blue-collar family, the path to this honor was born of inspiration. His journey began during the summer after his sophomore year at Rider University when he volunteered in a lab. “I completely fell in love with the whole process,” he said. “It’s the mythology, the discovery, the trial and error — I love it! Everything about it was fun to me, and I knew then what I wanted to do.”
Sando loved the lab, and he worked in a special one, studying with Phil Lowrey, BS’91, known for his work on the molecular mechanisms of the circadian clock (and who earned his B.S. in biology from Vanderbilt). Sando changed his major from pre-med to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biology.
After completing his Ph.D. at Scripps Research Institute under the mentorship of Anton Maximov, Sando’s scientific journey led him to Stanford University for his postdoctoral work. At Stanford, Sando “fell in love” again, this time with the synapse, when he collaborated with Tom Südhof, professor of molecular and cellular physiology at the Stanford School of Medicine. Sando was part of the team when Südhof’s work on synaptic transmission won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 2013.
In the midst of the pandemic, in 2020, Sando set up his lab at Vanderbilt University. Their work is focused on understanding how circuits in the brain are assembled at the most fundamental level. “The human brain is composed of billions of diverse cell types that form networks of trillions of synaptic connections,” Sando said. “We want to understand how this synaptic connectivity becomes established during development.”
Professor Sando and his lab team (Vanderbilt University)
This research question forms the core of Sando’s NIH-funded project. He aims to unravel the cellular and molecular principles behind the brain’s remarkable ability to wire itself with incredible precision. “To really understand the brain at its most fundamental level, we need to learn more about how this happens,” Sando said.
Sando’s approach challenges the prevailing idea that molecular codes in the extracellular space alone can explain synapse formation. He believes that there must be intracellular signaling pathways corresponding to these molecular codes, directing the formation of diverse types of synapses.
“I was obviously thrilled,” Sando said of receiving an NIH New Innovator Award. “As a scientist, we deal with failure all the time. I submit tons of grants, and most of them get rejected. So, when I got the score for this one, which was a perfect score actually, it was even more shocking. It’s definitely an honor to be recognized.”
The significance of this award extends beyond mere recognition. It provides Sando with the resources and freedom to pursue his groundbreaking ideas. As Tara A. Schwetz, NIH deputy director, puts it, “The HRHR program champions exceptionally bold and innovative science that pushes the boundaries of biomedical and behavioral research.”
Sando’s laboratory examines the genetic programs underlying synaptic circuit assembly and maintenance in the mammalian central nervous system. They utilize an interdisciplinary approach ranging from cellular and molecular mechanisms, electrophysiology, and imaging to elucidate the networks of synaptic cell adhesion molecules and signal transduction pathways that drive synapse circuit formation. The studies are directly relevant to the mechanistic basis of numerous neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD and autism spectrum disorders.
