Research
Mouse molecular genetics are used to study the pathogenesis and develop treatment for neurodegenerative diseases
Appointments
- Professor, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
Biography
Yang is interested in using the mouse genetic approach to study the pathogenesis and to identify potential therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases, particularly for Huntington’s Disease (HD) and Parkinson’s Disease (PD).
Yang and his colleagues focus on the following projects:
- in order to understand how mutant Huntington acts to result in a wide variety of clinical symptoms ranging from psychiatric, cognitive to motor deficits, they generate and analyze brain regional-specific models of HD in mice
- they take advantage of the high-speed BAC transgenic system to systematically test candidate dominant genetic modifiers of HD in mice.
- they use BAC transgenesis to introduce known PD mutations into mice to develop mouse models for Parkinson’s Disease
Publications
- Li, WY, Wang, YH, Wang, QT, Yang, XW, Zhang, S, Zhang, ZJ et al.. Diosgenin Attenuates Angiogenesis via Targeting Src/STAT3 Signaling Pathway to Treat Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Chin J Integr Med. 2026; :. doi: 10.1007/s11655-026-4138-4. PubMed PMID:41689610 .
- Zhu, J, Liu, J, Chen, YX, Yang, XW, Zhu, RR. Compare Combined Use of Anti-VEGF Drugs During or After PPV for Diabetic Macular Edema Guided by MIOCT. Retina. 2026; :. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000004801. PubMed PMID:41687084 .
- Yang, XW, Chen, HL, Hui, PL, Xie, JF, Hou, YP, Shao, YF et al.. Seasonal sleep-wake patterns of plateau zokors (Eospalax baileyi). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2026;314 :111984. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2026.111984. PubMed PMID:41666953 .
- Yang, XW, Jiang, XL, Wu, YL. Clinical investigation of postpartum depression risk factors and screening predictors. World J Psychiatry. 2026;16 (2):113101. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i2.113101. PubMed PMID:41641198 PubMed Central PMC12865465.
- Zhao, XW, Zou, ZB, Lin, YY, Ma, KX, Xie, CL, Li, LS et al.. Ferroptosis-inhibitory compounds from the deep-sea-derived Penicillium sp. Bioorg Chem. 2026;171 :109574. doi: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2026.109574. PubMed PMID:41619440 .