University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · NeuroscienceCai Lab
Dongming Cai · Minneapolis, Minnesota
Research Focus
Dr. Dongming Cai's lab at the University of Minnesota focuses on understanding the role of ApoE4, a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), particularly how it affects microglial function and neuroinflammation. The research aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms behind ApoE4-induced changes and their impact on AD pathology. Through various innovative approaches, including mouse models and human cell cultures, the lab seeks to identify new pathways that could lead to targeted therapies for Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's DiseaseApoE4MicrogliaNeuroinflammationPhospholipid DysregulationSynj1Cognitive ImpairmentiPSC-derived CellsNetwork Modeling
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate microglial synj1 function in modulating APOE4-regulated neuroinflammation in AD in vivo.
AIM 02Characterize the molecular mechanisms of the APOE-synj1-PIP2 signaling pathway regulating microglial function.
AIM 03Examine the temporal and spatial relationships between microglial dysfunction and synaptic elimination.
AIM 04Perform high-resolution network modeling using transcriptomic datasets to identify microglia-specific signatures driven by APOE-synj1-PIP2 signaling.
AIM 05Validate identified molecular signatures in post-mortem human brain samples.
Skills the Lab Values
Mouse models3-D co-culture techniquesMicroglial cultureRNA sequencingscRNA-seqFluorescence imagingData analysisMolecular profilingLysosomal function assessment
Output against the department
Publications86bottom 26% of dept.496th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations6.0kbottom 42% of dept.390th 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.