Photo of Mollie B. Woodworth

Mollie B. Woodworth

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience

Associations

Neuroscience

Bonney Science Center, Room 280

mwoodworth@bates.edu

About

Education

  • S.B. Brain and Cognitive Sciences, S.B. Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2006)
  • Ph.D. Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard University (2013)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Division of Genetics and Genomics, Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School (2016)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University (2023)

Courses Taught

  • NRSC 160 Introduction to Neuroscience
  • NRSC 325 Neural Development
  • NRSC 334 Medical Genetics
  • NRSC 335 Degeneration and Regeneration of the Nervous System
  • NRSC s22 Methods in Developmental Neuroscience

Research Interests

Vision loss is a devastating medical problem that leads to lower quality of life and loss of independence among those affected. Because the human retina has minimal or no regenerative ability, the death of retinal neurons due to injury or disease is generally irreversible, making this the most common cause of permanent visual impairment. If retinal neurons could be regenerated from progenitor cells that live within the adult human body, these patients could have their vision restored.

I study the development of retinal ganglion cells, the neurons that connect the eye with the brain. These neurons are vulnerable to injury in traumatic optic nerve injuries and to diseases such as glaucoma, and a deeper understanding of their development and regeneration could have significant implications for reversing visual impairment. I investigate retinal ganglion cells through the lens of development, by seeking to understand the way retinal ganglion cells normally develop and the ways these developmental pathways could be exploited to encourage regeneration in adult animals, using mice as a model system.

Selected Publications

  1. Woodworth MB, Greig LC, Goldberg J. (2023) “Intrinsic and induced neuronal regeneration in the mammalian retina.” Antioxidants and Redox Signaling. Published online ahead of print, DOI:10.1089/ars.2023.0309
  2. Woodworth MB, Girskis K, Walsh CA. (2017) “Building a lineage from single cells: Genetic techniques for cell lineage tracking.” Nature Reviews Genetics 18(4): 230-244. PMID: 28111472. With cover.
  3. Greig LC*, Woodworth MB*, Greppi C, Macklis JD. (2016) “Ctip1 controls acquisition of sensory area identity and establishment of sensory input fields in the developing neocortex.” Neuron 90(2):261-277. PMID: 27100196. *equal contribution
  4. Woodworth MB*, Greig LC*, Liu KX, Ippolito GC, Tucker HO, Macklis JD. (2016) “Ctip1 regulates the balance of projection neuron subtype specification in deep cortical layers.” Cell Reports 15(5): 999-1012. PMID: 27117402. With cover. *equal contribution
  5. Lodato MA*, Woodworth MB*, Lee S*, Evrony GD, Mehta BK, Karger A, Lee S, Chittenden TW, D’Gama AM, Cai X, Luquette LJ, Lee E, Park PJ, Walsh CA. (2015) “Somatic mutation in single human neurons tracks developmental and transcriptional history.” Science 350(6256):94-8. PMID: 26430121. With cover. *equal contribution
  6. Greig LC*, Woodworth MB*, Galazo MJ, Padmanabhan H, Macklis JD. (2013) “Molecular logic of neocortical projection neuron specification, development, and diversity.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience 14(11): 755-69. PMID: 24105342. *equal contribution
  7. Woodworth MB*, Custo Greig L*, Kriegstein AR, Macklis JD. (2012) “Snapshot: Cortical development.” Cell 151(4): 918-918.e.1. PMID: 23141546. *equal contribution

Expertise

Current Courses

Fall Semester 2025

Senior Thesis

BCHM 457

A laboratory or library research study in an area of interest under the supervision of a member of the biology or chemistry department. Senior biochemistry majors deliver presentations on their research. Students register for BCHM 457 in the fall semester and BCHM 458 in the winter semester. Majors …

Medical Genetics

BIO 334 / NRSC 334

More than four-fifths of the genes in the human genome are expressed in the brain, making the construction of the brain a phenomenal act of coordinated genetic activity. Mutations in single genes can profoundly affect the development or function of the brain, and investigating the diseases caused by…

Hypothalamus: The Brain's Control Center

NRSC 311

The hypothalamus has been described as "the cockpit of the brain". This small structure controls a huge variety of body processes, including hormones, sleep, body temperature, blood pressure, novelty-seeking, and appetite, directly or indirectly affects all other parts of the body. In this course, w…

Degeneration and Regeneration of the Nervous System

NRSC 335

Why are neurons vulnerable to disease, and why are humans unable to generate new neurons to replace those that are lost? The susceptibility of specific neuron populations to neurodegenerative disease is scientifically puzzling as well as a source of significant human suffering. Regenerative medicine…

Capstone Thesis in Neuroscience

NRSC 457

Open to senior majors with permission of the program faculty. A neuroscience thesis involves independent laboratory research on a topic broadly related to neuroscience. This may take the form of a one- or two-semester project conducted under the supervision of a Bates faculty member, or participati…