Rutgers University-New Brunswick · Microbiology & ImmunologyXue Mycology Lab
Chaoyang Xue · New Brunswick, New Jersey
Research Focus
Dr. Chaoyang Xue's lab at Rutgers focuses on understanding how the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans causes severe brain infections, especially in immunocompromised patients like those with AIDS. The lab is exploring how this fungus uses inositol, a sugar found in the brain, to cross the blood-brain barrier and evade the immune system. They are also working on developing new vaccines and treatments to combat this life-threatening infection.
Cryptococcus neoformansblood-brain barrierinositolvaccine developmentantifungal resistance
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how inositol enhances Cryptococcus virulence and enables it to cross the blood-brain barrier.
AIM 02Characterize the immune responses elicited by a novel vaccine candidate against Cryptococcus.
AIM 03Identify mechanisms of antifungal drug resistance related to phospholipid metabolism.
AIM 04Test potential inhibitors targeting inositol pathways for therapeutic effects.
AIM 05Explore the role of specific proteins in regulating immunogenicity and virulence of Cryptococcus.
Skills the Lab Values
molecular biologyPCRanimal modelscell culturebiophysical techniquesimmunological assaysgenetic screeningWestern blotmicroscopy
Output against the department
Publications78bottom 25% of dept.363rd of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations4.4kbottom 34% of dept.322nd of 486
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.