Prof. Chao Peng, Department of Neurology UCLA, United States
“Prof. Chao Peng is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Neurology, UCLA, USA. His research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly the transmission and spread of pathological proteins like alpha-synuclein and tau. Prof. Peng has received numerous awards and grants for his work, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation Grant and the CurePSP Grant.”
Profile
Scopus
Early Academic Pursuits 🎓
Dr. Chao Peng’s journey into the world of biomedical sciences began at Wuhan University, China, where he pursued a B.Sc. in Life Science (2002–2006). His keen interest in developmental biology led him to Fudan University, Shanghai, China, where he earned his Ph.D. (2006–2012) under the mentorship of Dr. Wufan Tao, with co-mentors Min Han, Yuan Zhuang, and Tian Xu. During his Ph.D. studies, he established groundbreaking piggyBac transposon-based genetic screening systems to identify metastasis genes, tumor suppressors, and drug resistance-related genes. His work also included generating Vps18 conditional knockout mice, which played a pivotal role in understanding late endocytosis in neural cell survival and dendrite development.
Professional Endeavors 🏛️
Dr. Peng has had an illustrious career in neuroscience, focusing on molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases. After completing his doctoral studies, he embarked on a rigorous postdoctoral fellowship (2013–2018) at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Virginia Lee’s Laboratory, where he made seminal discoveries regarding the pathological α-synuclein strains and their role in neurodegeneration. His tenure at Pennsylvania continued as a Research Associate (2018–2019), where he refined methodologies for studying protein aggregation and transmission in neurodegenerative conditions.
In January 2020, Dr. Peng joined the prestigious University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an Assistant Professor. Here, his research delves into the molecular machinery of pathological α-synuclein and tau transmission, their genetic and environmental risk factors, and their structural diversity in diseased brains. His work aims to develop novel disease models for neurodegenerative disorders, offering new therapeutic avenues.
Contributions and Research Focus 🔬
Dr. Peng’s research is dedicated to unraveling the complexities of protein misfolding and aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Parkinson’s disease and tauopathies. Some of his most notable contributions include:
- Pathological α-synuclein strains: He demonstrated the biological and structural diversity of α-synuclein strains, which has significant implications for diagnostics and targeted therapies.
- Cross-seeding of pathological proteins: His studies revealed interactions between α-synuclein, tau, and TDP-43, which may provide insight into disease progression and overlapping pathologies.
- Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of α-synuclein: He systematically examined PTMs and their role in protein aggregation, shedding light on their functional significance in disease pathogenesis.
- Development of disease models: His work on oligodendrocyte-mediated α-synuclein transmission has led to advanced models for studying Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and related disorders.
- High-throughput screening systems: He has pioneered screening techniques to evaluate protein aggregation inhibitors, paving the way for potential therapeutics.
Accolades and Recognition 🏆
Dr. Peng’s impactful research has been widely recognized in the scientific community. Some of his notable honors include:
- Invited Speaker at Prestigious Conferences & Institutions: NIH (2024), University of Pennsylvania (2024), UT Southwestern (2023), Tiantan International Movement Disorder Symposium (2022), King’s College London (2020), Cornell University (2020), and more.
- Editorial & Peer Review Contributions: He serves as a reviewer for renowned journals such as Science Translational Medicine, Nature Chemical Biology, and Molecular Neurodegeneration.
- Highly Cited Publications: His studies have been published in Nature, Neuron, Nature Neuroscience, JBC, and Nature Reviews Neurology, influencing global research in neurodegeneration.
Publication Top Notes
Post-translational modifications of soluble α-synuclein regulate the amplification of pathological α-synuclein
Author: Zhang, S., Zhu, R., Pan, B., Xu, H., Olufemi, M., Gathagan, R., Li, Y., Zhang, L., Zhang, J., Xiang, Q., Kagan, E., Cao, X., Yuan, C., Kim, S., Williams, C., Magaki, S., Vinters, H., Lashuel, H., Garcia, B., Petersson, J., Trojanowski, J.Q., Lee, V.M.,* Peng, C.*
Journal: Nature Nueroscience
Year: 2023
Cellular milieu imparts distinct pathological α-synuclein strains in α-synucleinopathies
Author: Peng, C., Gathagan, R.J., Covell, D.J., Medellin, C., Stieber, A., Robinson, J.L., Zhang, B., Pitkin, R.M., Olufemi, M.F., Luk, K.C.,
Journal: Neurodegeneration
Year: 2018