{"id":9,"date":"2019-09-10T15:25:52","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T19:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/bae-lab\/?page_id=9"},"modified":"2024-11-27T22:14:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T03:14:03","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Research"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-9\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-9-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-9-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-9-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_black-studio-tinymce widget_black_studio_tinymce panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><h3 class=\"widget-title\">Molecular Pathophysiology of Parkinson&#8217;s disease<\/h3><div class=\"textwidget\"><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Our-approaches.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"464\" height=\"372\" class=\" wp-image-594 alignright\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Our-approaches.jpg 2476w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Our-approaches-768x617.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Our-approaches-1536x1234.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Our-approaches-2048x1645.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/>Parkinson\u2019s disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder and the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Currently, there is no effective therapy. The Xiong lab aims to understand the mechanisms underlying PD with a specific focus on four major questions:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1)<\/strong> How do PD-associated proteins contribute to dopaminergic (DA) neurodegeneration in SNpc? Specifically, the function of <strong>LRRK2<\/strong>, mutations of which are the most common genetic causes of PD, and <strong>GCase<\/strong> (Glucocerebrosidase, encoded by <em>GBA1<\/em>), mutations of which are the most common risk factors for PD.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2)<\/strong> What are the <strong>new molecules<\/strong> and how are they involved in PD pathogenesis?<\/p>\n<p><strong>3)<\/strong> What are the common cellular pathways leading to PD? Specifically on <strong>ER homeostasis<\/strong> and <strong>endolysosomal trafficking<\/strong> pathways.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4)<\/strong> How to develop the <strong>pharmacological strategies<\/strong> to slow down DA neurodegeneration and the PD symptoms?<\/p>\n<p>To answer these questions, Dr. Xiong\u2019s group has developed various model systems from single-cell organism budding yeast to\u00a0<em>Drosophila<\/em>, mice, and primary and human neuronal cultures. Using these systems, the lab\u2019s general approaches are to use a powerful combination of genetics, molecular biology, viral approaches, and behavioral analysis to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases in humans. The lab\u2019s research goal is to identify molecular therapeutic targets that will ultimately lead to the development of effective biomarkers and treatments for PD.<\/p>\n<p>The Xiong lab welcomes motivated postdocs and graduate students to join the team.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-9-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-9-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-mobile-last\" ><div id=\"panel-9-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_media_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2161\" height=\"1292\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-CDGI-2-2.jpg\" class=\"image wp-image-578  attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-CDGI-2-2.jpg 2161w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-CDGI-2-2-768x459.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-CDGI-2-2-1536x918.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-CDGI-2-2-2048x1224.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2161px) 100vw, 2161px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-9-1-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-empty\" ><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-9-2\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-9-2-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-9-2-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_media_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2195\" height=\"1827\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-ATIC-2-2.jpg\" class=\"image wp-image-585  attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-ATIC-2-2.jpg 2195w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-ATIC-2-2-768x639.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-ATIC-2-2-1536x1278.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-ATIC-2-2-2048x1705.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2195px) 100vw, 2195px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-9-2-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-9-2-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_media_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2090\" height=\"1877\" src=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-AP2M1-2-2.jpg\" class=\"image wp-image-591  attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-AP2M1-2-2.jpg 2090w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-AP2M1-2-2-768x690.jpg 768w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-AP2M1-2-2-1536x1379.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/259\/2024\/11\/Xiong-lab-AP2M1-2-2-2048x1839.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2090px) 100vw, 2090px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Parkinson\u2019s disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder and the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Currently, there is no effective therapy. The Xiong lab aims to understand the mechanisms underlying PD with a specific focus on four major questions: 1) How do PD-associated proteins contribute to dopaminergic (DA) neurodegeneration in SNpc? [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-19 06:27:33","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":595,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9\/revisions\/595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/xiong-lab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}