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NameEmailPhD ProgramResearch InterestPublications
Yap, Pew-Thian
WEBSITE
EMAIL
PUBLICATIONS

PHD PROGRAM
Bioinformatics & Computational Biology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Aging/Alzheimer's, Bioinformatics, Biophysics, Brain Development, Developmental Disorders, Human Subjects Research, Medical Imaging, Neurobiology, Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Dr. Pew-Thian Yap is a Professor of the Department of Radiology and the Director of the Image Analysis Core of the Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He leads a wide range of research spanning image acquisition, reconstruction, quality control, harmonization, processing, and analysis with applications in neuroscience, disease diagnosis, and surgical planning.

Miao, Yinglong
WEBSITE
EMAIL
PUBLICATIONS

PHD PROGRAM
Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Pharmacology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Aging/Alzheimer's, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Cardiovascular Disease, Computational Biology, Drug Discovery, Pharmacology, Signal Transduction

Our research is focused on the development of novel theoretical and computational methods and AI techniques, which greatly enhance computer simulations and facilitate simulation analysis, and the application of these methods, making unprecedented contributions to biomolecular modeling and drug discovery. In collaboration with leading experimental groups, we combine complementary simulations and experiments to uncover functional mechanisms and design drugs of important biomolecules, including G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), membrane-embedded proteases, RNA-binding proteins, and RNA. At the interface of computational biology, chemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics and pharmacology, our research aims to address three major topics: (i) development of biomolecular enhanced sampling and AI techniques, (ii) multiscale computational modeling of critical cellular signaling pathways, and (iii) AI-driven drug discovery of medically important proteins and RNA for treatments of neurological disorders, heart failure and cancers.

Khan, Shahzad
WEBSITE
EMAIL
PUBLICATIONS

PHD PROGRAM
Cell Biology & Physiology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Aging/Alzheimer's, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Neurobiology, Signal Transduction

Maintaining health and reducing disease-risk requires the brain to properly transduce signals across specialized regions and cell types. My lab studies neural signaling at the primary cilium, an antenna-like organelle that helps cells sense and respond to environmental cues. The function of primary cilia in the adult brain remains enigmatic. To probe cilia function, the lab will utilize mouse models, neural cultures, human brain samples, single-cell transcriptomics, proteomics, and microscopy. Ultimately, we aim to identify therapeutic targets for diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Vetreno, Ryan

EMAIL
PUBLICATIONS

PHD PROGRAM
Neuroscience, Pharmacology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Addiction/Alcohol Research, Aging/Alzheimer's, Behavior, Biochemistry, Brain Development, Developmental Biology, Disease, Epigenetics & Chromatin Biology, Immunology, Microbiome, Molecular Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Neurobiology, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Neuropharmacology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Regenerative Medicine

My research interests involve investigation of proinflammatory neuroimmune and epigenetic mechanisms in animal models of developmental neurobiology and neurodegeneration, including (1) alcohol pharmacology, (2) alcohol responsivity and tolerance, (3) adolescent neurodevelopment, (4) cholinergic system and neurocircuitry, (5) microglial function, and (6) Alzheimer’s disease. A major focus of the laboratory is elucidation of neuroimmune and epigenetic mechanisms underlying adolescent binge alcohol-induced disruption of basal forebrain cholinergic neurocircuitry in adulthood. A second major focus of the laboratory is investigation of lasting adolescent binge drinking-induced neuroimmune priming as a novel etiological factor contributing to the onset and progression of basal forebrain neuropathology in Alzheimer’s disease. Our laboratory combines ex vivo and in vivo rodent models of alcohol abuse and Alzheimer’s disease with innovative molecular techniques.

Hwang, Janice

EMAIL
PUBLICATIONS

PHD PROGRAM
Cell Biology & Physiology

RESEARCH INTEREST
Aging/Alzheimer's, Diabetes, Human Subjects Research, Medical Imaging, Metabolism, Neurobiology, Physiology, Translational Medicine

My group is interested in understanding the effects of obesity and diabetes on the brain, particularly related to cerebral function and energetics. We conduct physiology based, mechanistic human and rodent studies to investigate fundamental questions such as how does the brain sense various nutrients (sugar, fat, etc), how does metabolic disease, sleep, aging impact brain function and metabolism? Using classic human metabolic techniques including hyperinsulinemic and hyper/hypoglycemic clamps coupled with advanced neuroimaging modalities including 1H and 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy, functional MRI, and PET-CT imaging, my group has shown that glucose transport capacity into the human brain can be modified by factors such as obesity and insulin resistance as well as hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia and glycemic variability. We also have interests in using novel human imaging modalities to understand how obesity and diabetes impact neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.