Lab Leader: Han Qi

Lab Name: Laboratory of Neural Metabolism & Brain Health

Lab Info：The brain is the most hungry organ in the body. Though it holds 2% of total body mass, it consumes up to 20% of the body’s total haul. These features make mitochondria, the powerhouse of cells, both a critical element of brain cells and a potential source of problems. Although mitochondrial damage appears in a wide range of brain disorders, recent findings suggest that it covers the other unrecognized mechanisms involved beyond brain energy crisis. In this regard, we use a wide variety of approaches and cutting-edge techniques, including molecular, cellular, neural-circuit, bioinformatic and metabolomic tools, to investigate the mechanism of mitochondria shaped by brain state and in turn the impact of mitochodnrial damage on brain disease, including

1) Neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism,

2) Neuroregenerative failure like axon injury,

3) Neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS,

4) Mental illnesses like depression.

We hope our findings would shed light on new therapeutics that target mitochondria may benefit neuropathological patients.

Lab Members: