Tracy Brandmeyer

Genetics can influence consciousness by shaping receptor expression, neural excitability, plasticity, and the brain circuits supporting perception, memory, and emotion. Emerging methods including single cell genomics, spatial transcriptomics, CRISPR based perturbation, and RNA interference now allow researchers to investigate these relationships with unprecedented precision. This talk explores how molecular data can be combined with EEG, neuroimaging, and subjective reports to connect genes with neural dynamics and conscious experience. It also examines the potential of reversible, intranasally delivered RNA therapeutics to modulate specific neural targets, while addressing the scientific and ethical limits of altering the biological processes underlying consciousness.

Dr. Tracy Brandmeyer is a neuroscientist and biotech executive with over two decades of experience at the intersection of neuroscience, mental health, consciousness and neurotechnology. She holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the CNRS in France, an MSc in Neuropsychology from the Donders Institute in the Netherlands, and completed her postdoctoral training in Integrative Neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco, and the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine.

As CEO of Cognigenics, Dr. Brandmeyer is leading the development of next-generation RNA-based therapeutics for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. The company’s intranasal RNA modulation platform enables non-invasive, targeted, and lasting neural modulation, offering a scalable alternative to traditional pharmacological and device-based approaches. By combining genetic precision with novel delivery science, Cognigenics is setting the new standard for precision neuropsychiatric interventions.

Dr. Brandmeyer’s scientific work has spanned cognitive neuroscience, meditation, and neuromodulation, with a particular focus on how real-time brain feedback and mental training shape neural plasticity. In addition to her work at Cognigenics, she serves as the fractional Chief Science Officer at BrainMind, as an advisor to Lionheart Ventures, as well as an adjunct faculty member at the Institute for Neural Computation at UC San Diego.