Jian Zhao, PhDAssociate Professor

In more than a decade of research, I have focused on the study of new mechanisms of important signal transduction pathways in cell fate determination as well as in the pathogenesis and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Our major findings include:

1. Established a novel chemical-induced transdifferentiation technology, providing induced human neural (progenitor) cells for disease-modeling. A series of in vitro small molecule transdifferentiation induction systems were established, and the possible general formula of transdifferentiation was proposed, by which exploration of the regulatory mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases with human cells become possible.

2. Elucidated that the secretase protein complex as the key regulators of the development and progression of the Alzheimer’s diseases, providing a unique path for finding novel drugs that affects Aβ production and metabolism by various signal transduction proteins or protein complexes on the cell surface. We found that cell surface receptors, secretases and their regulatory proteins form functional secretase protein complexes (holo-secretase complex). Our results show that assembly of these secretase complex mediates the production of pathogenic β-amyloid, whereas intervention of which retards the generation of β-amyloid and Alzheimer's disease process. Our studies not only reveal new regulatory molecules in AD pathogenesis but propose new therapeutic strategies against the disease.

Our efforts will continue to focus on elucidating new mechanisms of key signal transduction pathways mediating the pathogenesis and progression of neurodegenerative diseases based on our previous achievements.

Direction I. Generating induced human neural (progenitor) cells as disease-modeling system.

Direction II. Cellular surface protein complexes as novel targets for the Alzheimer's disease.

Direction III. Exploring the multiple etiological characteristics of neurodegenerative diseases and new strategies for systematic treatment with multiple targets