Location:
Kelei Cao Ph.D
Email: caokelei18@zju.edu.cn
Education and Work Experience:
· August 2026 - Present:
Investigator,
Songjiang Research Institute, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine
· August 2024 - July 2026:
Associate Research Fellow,
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
· July 2022 - July 2024:
Postdoctoral Fellow in Neurobiology, Zhejiang University.
· September 2018 - June 2022:
Ph.D. in Neurobiology, Zhejiang University.
· September 2015 - June 2018:
Master in Medical Immunology, Nanjing Medical University.
· September 2011 - June 2015:
Bachelor in Life Sciences,
PI introduction:
Dr. Kelei Cao received his Ph.D. from Zhejiang University in 2022, under the supervision of Professor Shumin Duan and Professor Zhihua Gao. His research focuses on the neuro-immune metabolism.
His research findings have been published in journals including Neuron, Nature Metabolism, Current Biology, Journal of Neuroinflammation, and Neuroscience Bulletin (2023 and 2026). His work has also been highlighted and discussed in commentaries published by Science, Neuron, and Molecular Cell. He holds three authorized invention patents.
Kelei Cao Ph.D
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1. Kelei Cao#, Wang Cheng#, Liyao Qiu, Shumin Duan, Zhihua Gao*. More than microglial depletion：PLX5622 activates the hepatic constitutive androstane receptor to alter anesthesia and addiction. Neuron. 2026 Feb 23. (Highlighted by Neuron).
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2. Kelei Cao#, Liyao Qiu#, Xuan Lu, Weiying Wu, Yaling Hu, Jiyun Peng, Shumin Duan*, Zhihua Gao*. Microglia modulate general anesthesia through P2Y12 receptor. Current Biology. 2023 May 6: S0960-9822(23)00529-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.047. (Commented by Science, and highlighted by Lab Animals)
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3. Yaling Hu#; Kelei Cao#; Fang Wang#; Weiying Wu; Weihao Mai; Liyao Qiu; Yuxiang Luo; Wooping Ge; Shumin Duan*; Zhihua Gao*. Dual roles of hexokinase 2 in shaping microglial function by gating glycolytic flux and mitochondrial activity. Nature Metabolism. 2022 Dec, 4(12): 1756-1774. doi: 10.1038/s42255-022-00707-5. (highlighted by Molecular Cell)
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4. Kelei Cao; Liao Xiang; Jiahui Lu; Shu Yao; Fengjiao Wu; Xingxing Zhu; Dongyan Shi; Shuang Wen; Lixin Liu; Hong Zhou*. IL-33/ST2 plays a critical role in endothelial cell activation and microglia-mediated neuroinflammation modulation. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 2018, 15(1). doi: 10.1186/s12974-018-1169-6.
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5. Jiahui Lyu, Wang Cheng, Chun-yue Li, Shumin Duan* and Kelei Cao*. PLX3397 reshapes hepatic lipid metabolism independent of microglial depletion. Neuroscience Bulletin, 2026. (Corresponding author)
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6. Kelei Cao, Yaling Hu, Zhihua Gao*. Sense to Tune: Engaging Microglia with Dynamic Neuronal Activity. Neuroscience Bulletin. 2023 Mar;39(3):553-556. doi: 10.1007/s12264-022-01010-9. (Review)
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7. Kelei Cao, Yaling Hu, Zhihua Gao*. Brain Macrophages: Close or Distant Relatives? Neuroscience Bulletin. 2021 Feb;37(2):278-280. doi: 10.1007/s12264-020-00595-3. (Research Highlight)