B.S. in Biology
National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

M.S. in Biological Sciences
National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

Ph.D. in Neuroscience

University College London, London, United Kingdom

Anatomy & Physiology II (BIO 3404) 

Luis R. Hernandez-Miranda is a neuroscientist specializing in brainstem development and the neural control of breathing. Originally from Mexico City, he earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from University College London (London, United Kingdom), where he investigated the migration of cortical interneurons and uncovered molecular mechanisms that guide their development.

He subsequently joined the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin as a postdoctoral researcher, where he established a new line of investigation on the genetic and functional specification of brainstem circuits essential for respiration. His training was further enriched by research visits to Columbia University (New York, USA), the École Normale Supérieure (Paris, France), and Kumamoto University (Japan), where he deepened his expertise in developmental neurobiology.

In 2020, Dr. Hernandez-Miranda founded an independent research group at the Institut für Zell- und Neurobiologie, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. His team investigates the molecular and developmental mechanisms underlying neonatal breathing control and congenital hypoventilation disorders. His research has been supported by the European Commission (Marie Curie Fellowship), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, and the Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS) Network.

To date, he has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, including Science, Cell, Science Advances, PNAS, Brain, Genes & Development, eLife, and The Journal of Neuroscience.

Dr. Hernandez-Miranda has supervised multiple Ph.D. and Master’s students, several of whom have gone on to research positions at institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, and The Scripps Research Institute. In parallel, he has developed extensive teaching experience in human anatomy, developmental biology, and neuroscience.

Beyond the laboratory, he enjoys amateur astronomy, classical music, cooking, and exploring Chinese cuisine and traditions.

Hernandez-Miranda’s research focuses on the development and function of brainstem circuits that control breathing and other vital motor behaviors. His work combines developmental neurobiology, molecular genetics, and systems neuroscience to uncover how neuronal identity and connectivity are established during embryonic development. This interest has led him to explore the molecular programs that specify brainstem neurons and the mechanisms by which their disruption leads to congenital disorders such as central hypoventilation syndrome. Through this multidisciplinary approach, his research bridges fundamental developmental principles with translational insights into human neurological disease.

• Cui K., Xia Y., Patnaik A., Salivara A., Lowenstein E.D., Isik E.G., Knorz A.L., Airaghi L., Crotti M., Garratt A.N., Meng F., Schmitz D., Studer M., Rijli F.M., Nothwang H.G., Rost B.R., Strauß U., Hernandez-Miranda L.R. (2024) Genetic identification of medullary neurons underlying congenital hypoventilation. Science Advances 10: eadj0720. 
• Lowenstein E.D., Rusanova A., Stelzer J, Hernaiz-Llorens M, Schroer A E., Epifanova E., Isik E.G., Buchert S., Jia S., Tarabykin V., Hernandez-Miranda L.R. (2021) Olig3 regulates early cerebellar development. eLife 10:e64684.
• Hernandez-Miranda L.R., Ibrahim D., Ruffault P.L., Larrosa M., Balueva K., Müller T., van de Weerd W., Stolte-Dijkstra I., Hostra R.M.W., Brunet J.F., Fortin G., Mundlos S., Birchmeier C. (2018) Mutation in LBX1/Lbx1 precludes transcription factor cooperativity and causes congenital hypoventilation in humans and mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 115: 13021-13026.
• Hernandez-Miranda L.R., Ruffault P.L., Bouvier J., Murray A., Morin-Surun M.P., Zampieri N., Cholewa-Waclaw J.B., Ey E., Brunet J.F., Champagnat J., Fortin G., Birchmeier C. (2017). Genetic identification of a hindbrain nucleus essential for innate vocalization. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 114:8095-8100.
• Piwecka M.*,Glažar P.*,Hernandez-Miranda L.R.*, Memczak S., Wolf S.A., Rybak-Wolf A., Filipchyk A., Klironomos F., Cerda Jara C.A., Fenske P., Trimbuch T., Zywitza V., Plass M., Schreyer L., Ayoub S., Kocks C., Kühn R., Rosenmund C., Birchmeier C., Rajewsky N. (2017) Loss of a mammalian circular RNA locus causes miRNA deregulation and affects brain function. Science 357 (6357):eaam8526. (*co-first authors).