Research
Astrocyte development and the roles of astrocytes in diseases
Appointments
- Assistant Professor
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
Biography
Astrocytes constitute at least a third of all cells in human brains. Long thought to be passive support cells, astrocytes are recently found to be critical for the development and function of the central nervous system. Accumulating evidence show that astrocytes are involved in almost every type of neurological and psychiatric disorder.
The cellular and molecular mechanisms that control astrocyte development as well as dysfunction of astrocytes in neurological and psychiatric disorders remains poorly understood.
We combine cell culture and mouse genetic approaches to study the following questions:
- What signals regulate astrocyte maturation?
- How is astrocyte differentiation regulated?
- Can we improve treatment of glioblastoma by studying astrocyte development?
- Are astrocytes involved in intellectual disability and autism?
Publications
- Qian, S, Zhang, Z, Zhang, Y, Zhao, J, Xu, B, Wang, L et al.. [Design and application of a dedicated support stand for fiberoptic bronchoscopy]. Zhonghua Wei Zhong Bing Ji Jiu Yi Xue. 2026;38 (4):384-386. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn121430-20250410-00204. PubMed PMID:42200249 .
- Lin, J, Zhang, Y, Li, Y, He, N, Liu, Y, Zheng, H et al.. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid contributes to primary open-angle glaucoma in a FABP4-Dependent manner: a novel mechanism for environmental risk of glaucoma. Front Genet. 2026;17 :1807152. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2026.1807152. PubMed PMID:42200199 PubMed Central PMC13200824.
- Zhang, Y, Han, Y, Yin, X, Tian, Y, Wu, M. Development and Validation of a Machine Learning Model for Predicting Medication Adherence Among Home-Dwelling Elderly Patients: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2026;20 :611334. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S611334. PubMed PMID:42200167 PubMed Central PMC13199717.
- Wang, J, Zhang, Y, Wang, H, Xie, X, Zhu, B. Prevalence, vector evolution, and visual impact of astigmatism: a large-scale study of 79,066 children in Beijing, China. Front Med (Lausanne). 2026;13 :1837925. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1837925. PubMed PMID:42200073 PubMed Central PMC13199079.
- Jiang, R, Zhang, Y, Li, H, Zhang, W, Ma, X. Comparison of interfascial plane injection and trigger point injection for upper trapezius myofascial pain syndrome in young women: a prospective cohort study. Front Med (Lausanne). 2026;13 :1819707. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1819707. PubMed PMID:42200064 PubMed Central PMC13199076.