Purdue University-Main Campus · Engineering

The NeuroEnviro Lab

Chongli Yuan · West Lafayette, Indiana

Research Focus

Chongli Yuan's research lab at Purdue University focuses on understanding how environmental factors, particularly exposure to lead, interact with genetic risks and contribute to Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (AD/ADRD) as people age. Through innovative engineering and modeling techniques, the lab aims to shed light on the biological processes involved in these interactions. The lab utilizes advanced neuronal models to explore how exposure to lead during vulnerable developmental periods can lead to long-term neurological issues and offers insights into potential interventions.

Alzheimer's diseaselead exposuregene-environment interactionsneurodegenerationagingneural modelingepigeneticsCRISPRhuman neuronal modelspathogenesis

Research Aims

AIM 01Identify genetic risk factors that interact with lead exposure and contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

AIM 02Characterize the changes in aging markers in neuronal models after lead exposure.

AIM 03Develop a platform for screening genetic and environmental interactions in Alzheimer's research.

AIM 04Validate findings with human neuronal models to assess real-world implications.

AIM 05Establish a new research paradigm for studying how environmental toxins affect neurodegeneration.

Skills the Lab Values

CRISPR-mediated transcriptional activation2D neuronal culture techniqueshuman mouse chimeric modelsgenetic screeningreporter plasmidsepigenetic analysisnuclear and mitochondrial signalingcell culturedata analysis using Pythonneuron maturation studies

Output against the department

Publications140bottom 33% of dept.187th of 278

this lab

most publishedleast published

Citations4.9kbottom 38% of dept.172nd of 278

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.