Dr. Wei's Research

Dr. Wei’s group is interested in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases using a combination of molecular, genetic, biochemical and imaging approaches. Proteostasis maintenance is critical for neuronal functions due to the specialized structure and post-mitotic property of neurons. Disturbance in proteostasis leads to accumulation of misfolded proteins, a common theme in many neurodegenerative diseases. We are particularly interested in how protein misfolding affects neuronal functions at molecular levels. Huntington’s disease (HD) is a devastating fatal neurological disorder caused by a pathological expansion of CAG repeats in the huntingtin (htt) gene. Mutant Htt misfolds and forms protein aggregates. Using Huntington’s disease as a model to study protein misfolding, current efforts have been directed to investigate the molecular functions of huntingtin. Specifically, our lab focuses on the following research themes:

1. What is the role of huntingtin in protein/organelle trafficking and how does mutant huntingtin interfere with it?
2. What is the role of huntingtin in glial functions and how does mutant huntingtin affect glial functions?
3. Proteostatic machinery in HD.

The other aspect of our ongoing research is to investigate neuroregeneration. We have a highly interdisciplinary team that combine both biomedical, mechanical engineering and neurobehavioral expertise to investigate peripheral neuron regeneration in response to different stimulations using a novel microfluidic platform. 

Click here for Dr. Wei's biography page and here for her PubMed feed.