Project Overview

• Focus 1: Mapping Microglial States Across Neurodegeneration

  • We investigate how microglial lipid metabolism and inflammatory signaling contribute to the early pathology of Alzheimer’s disease and age-related decline. Using single-cell sequencing, multiplexed imaging, and transgenic models, we map microglial state transitions and identify molecular checkpoints underlying selective vulnerability.

• Focus 2: Unraveling Neuronal Diversification in the Hypothalamus

  • Our work decodes the developmental logic of hypothalamic neurons that regulate homeostasis and behavior. By integrating single-cell RNA and ATAC sequencing with experimental perturbations, we reveal how gene regulatory networks shape neuronal fate, connectivity, and functional identity.

• Focus 3: Building Next-Generation Tools for Spatial Genomics

  • We are developing a rapid and cost-effective multiplexed RNA imaging platform that enables 3D visualization of gene expression across intact tissue. This method bridges the gap between traditional in situ hybridization and spatial transcriptomics, empowering precise molecular mapping across development and disease.

Methodological Approaches

• Computational and Quantitative Biology

  • We integrate single-cell RNA- and ATAC-sequencing, multi-omic data analysis, and spatial mapping to reconstruct gene regulatory networks and cellular trajectories.

• Molecular and Cellular Biology

  • We apply CRISPR-based perturbation, live imaging, and custom smFISH to dissect gene function and validate computational predictions.

• Systems and In Vivo Neuroscience

  • We utilize transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, brain clearing with light-sheet microscopy, and behavioral phenotyping to connect molecular states with system-level outcomes.