David D Ginty, Ph.D.

Title: Edward R. and Anne G. Lefler Professor of Neurobiology and Department Chair, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The Aim

The Ginty Lab explores how the nervous system encodes our sense of touch.

The Impact

Using a range of advanced tools, the Ginty Lab is able to map how signals from the skin travel through the nervous system to encode touch perception. These circuits are what allow us to differentiate between textures, temperatures, and levels of pressure. Understanding how they develop and function provides insight into conditions such as chronic pain or autism, in which touch feels painful or becomes overwhelming. Ultimately, this research could lead to better treatments for sensory disorders and pain-related conditions.

A Closer Look

Article: Autism. Chronic pain. Rising colon cancer rates. New Harvard center explores urgent health problems. , The Boston Globe, September 2025. A $30 million gift from philanthropist K. Lisa Yang launched Harvard’s new Brain-Body Center, designed to support collaborative research and training. This timely and generous support has the potential to deepen our understanding of autism, chronic pain, and colon cancer.

Article: Highly sensitive science , The Harvard Gazette, July 2025. Ginty describes how sensory overload in autism arises from heightened activity in peripheral and spinal neurons rather than in the brain. He also discusses how funding freezes threaten advances in research, which could delay or halt the development of new therapies for conditions of touch and pain.

Contact

Email: david_ginty@hms.harvard.edu
Lab website: gintylab.hms.harvard.edu