Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Florida Atlantic University
777 Glades Road, BC-71
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(561) 297-4828
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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:
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.