Washington University in St Louis · BiologyHuang Neurodegeneration Lab
Eric J Huang · Saint Louis, Missouri
Research Focus
Dr. Eric J. Huang's lab at Washington University studies the mechanisms of neurodegeneration associated with mutations in the GRN gene, which is linked to diseases like frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease. The lab focuses on how defects in lipid metabolism and endolysosomal trafficking in brain cells contribute to neuronal vulnerability. Through both human and mouse models, they aim to identify therapeutic targets for age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
neurodegenerationlipid metabolismendolysosomal traffickingfrontotemporal lobar degenerationAlzheimer's diseasemicrogliaTDP-43 proteinopathyaging brainlipidomicshumanized mouse models
Research Aims
3AIM 01Delineate the mechanisms of endolysosomal trafficking impacting lipid-mediated toxicity in microglia.
AIM 02Characterize the roles of lipid-dependent and -independent mechanisms in astrocytes' neurotoxicity.
AIM 03Investigate lipid contributions to glial toxicity and neurodegeneration using organoid models and human tissue samples.
Skills the Lab Values
lipidomicsRNA sequencingmouse modelssubcellular fractionationimmunohistochemistrycell culturecomplement activation assays3-D organoid culturecytokine profilingmolecular biology techniques