Washington University in St Louis · GeneticsZhao Neurodegeneration Lab
Guoyan Zhao · Saint Louis, Missouri
Research Focus
Dr. Guoyan Zhao's lab at Washington University focuses on understanding Lewy body diseases, including Parkinson's disease and related forms of dementia. The research examines how certain neurons and brain regions are uniquely vulnerable to damage in these disorders, using advanced genomic tools and bioinformatics. By identifying molecular mechanisms and biomarkers, the lab aims to develop targeted strategies for therapy and diagnosis.
Lewy body diseasesParkinson's diseasedementiasingle nucleus RNA-sequencingastrocytesmicroglianeurodegeneration
Research Aims
3AIM 01Identify vulnerable neuronal types in various brain regions affected by Lewy body diseases.
AIM 02Investigate the role of astrocyte and microglia dysfunction in regional vulnerability.
AIM 03Explore how neuron-glia interactions contribute to neuronal vulnerability in Lewy body diseases.
Skills the Lab Values
single nucleus RNA sequencingbioinformaticscell cultureanimal modelsanalytical microscopygene expression profilingdata analysis in Rclinical sample processing
Output against the department
Publications125bottom 39% of dept.157th of 259
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations8.0kbottom 43% of dept.147th of 259
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.