Areas of Interest
Research Interests
My research focus centers on investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying neurological diseases, specifically HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) and Alzheimer’s Disease. HIV-1 infection gives rise to a spectrum of neurological and cognitive complications collectively termed NeuroAIDS. A prevalent aspect of NeuroAIDS is HIV-associated pain, affecting over 60% of HIV patients with chronic issues such as migraine, headache, and joint pain. Our objective is to unravel the molecular processes through which pain signals are activated by HIV-1 factors (such as gp120 and Tat) and to understand the involvement of host factors (like glia activation and neuron-glia interaction) in the pathogenesis.
In recent studies, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), particularly long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and enhancer-derived noncoding RNAs (eRNAs), have been identified as highly abundant in the nervous system and implicated in neural development, plasticity, aging, and neurological disorders. Our research aims to elucidate the molecular functions of ncRNAs in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease and NeuroAIDS.
Education and Training
BS
Physiology, Qingdao Agriculture University Qingdao, Shandong, China
MS
Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
PhD
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, Texas