RURush University · Neuroscience
Neuroinflammation and Aging Lab
Yanling Wang · Chicago, Illinois
Research Focus
Dr. Yanling Wang's lab at Rush University Medical Center focuses on understanding how the APOE4 gene, a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), influences immune responses in the brain. By studying human brain tissues and developing in vitro organoids, the lab aims to uncover the mechanisms of neuroinflammation and how it relates to aging and Alzheimer's. Their research looks at cell interactions and immune functions at brain borders, hoping to identify new therapeutic targets for AD treatment.
APOE4Alzheimer's Diseaseneuroinflammationimmune responsesingle-cell multi-omicsorganoidsbrain borderscell communicationneuroscienceaging
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the effect of APOE alleles on immune cell states in human brain borders.
AIM 02Profile single-cell gene expression in border regions of Alzheimer’s and normal aging individuals.
AIM 03Develop 3D organoid models to study APOE4's functional impacts on brain border immunity.
AIM 04Identify upstream regulators influencing neuroinflammation in aging and Alzheimer’s contexts.
AIM 05Explore therapeutic targets to modulate brain border immunity for Alzheimer's interventions.
Skills the Lab Values
single-cell RNA sequencingin vitro modeling3D cell cultureimmunofluorescencecell sortinggenetic engineeringdata analysis using bioinformatics toolsorgan-on-a-chip technologiesmultimodal imagingimmune cell profiling
Output against the department
Publications217top 34% of dept.227th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations6.5kbottom 45% of dept.371st of 671
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.