“A first-of-its-kind study led by the University of California, Irvine has revealed a new culprit in the formation of brain hemorrhages that does not involve injury to the blood vessels, as previously believed. Researchers discovered that interactions between aged red blood cells and brain capillaries can lead to cerebral microbleeds, offering deeper insights into how they occur and identifying potential new therapeutic targets for treatment and prevention.”
“In this webinar, produced with support from Vizgen, Xiangmin Xu, PhD, will introduce several single-cell and spatial multi-omics technologies and describe how they can be used to improve our mechanistic understandings of brain circuit plasticity and neurodegenerative diseases. You will also learn about the University of California Irvine (UCI) Center for Neural Circuit Mapping (CNCM), which has emerged as a hub for new technology and resource development in the field of neuroscience, and their efforts to develop single-cell spatial multi-omics tools.”
“The third annual conference hosted by the UC Irvine Center for Neural Circuit Mapping (CNCM) was held on August 21–23, 2023, at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Science and Engineering in Irvine, California. Additional events also took place on August 24 on the UC Irvine campus. Hurricane Hillary generated additional anticipation ahead of the conference as she was forecasted to hit Irvine the night before the meeting, and to be the biggest storm in Irvine in ~100 years! To everyone’s relief, Hillary mostly petered out and was downgraded to a tropical storm by Saturday night. Thus, despite the “virtual option” we made available, nearly everyone attended the conference in person.”
The International Association of Biomedical Sciences will be holding their 2023 Forum in Irvine this year. The objective of this forum is to unite leading scientists in the neuroscience field, with a particular focus on Neurodegenerative Disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and related conditions. Speakers and attendees from across the globe will come together to share cutting-edge research findings, exchange innovative ideas, and foster stronger collaborations between academia and the industry to accelerate the advancement of novel therapies. Among the speakers is our very own Director, Dr. Xiangmin Xu!
Ultimately, the Forum aims to facilitate extensive interactions between academic researchers and biopharmaceutical companies, fostering a collaborative environment that expedites the development of groundbreaking diagnostics and therapeutics.
UAMA&A will be taking place on December 13-16, 2023, in Santiago, Chile. This event is organized and cosponsored by IEB (Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity), and the University of California Irvine Center for Neural Circuit Mapping (CNCM).
Registration is open until November 10th but there is early bird discount pricing until October 15th. Please visit https://uamaa23.net/ for more information on the conference.
Irvine, CA – July 25, 2023 – A University of California, Irvine-led team of researchers working at the Center for Neural Circuit Mapping (CNCM) find links between brain disorders and dysfunction of newly identified inhibitory brain cell types.
Different types of brain inhibitory neurons were identified first over 100 years ago by differences in their shape and form, but their functions are still being uncovered.
The gene expression profile of the newly discovered class of inhibitory neurons indicates strong associations with neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases and high energy use.
A team of UCI scientists led by Xiangmin Xu, PhD, professor of anatomy and neurobiology and director for the Center for Neural Circuit Mapping at the UCI School of Medicine, found that a distinct new class of brain inhibitory neurons when functioning abnormally may contribute to neurological and psychiatric conditions, including autism and schizophrenia.
“We’ve discovered a new class of inhibitory neurons in the brain that are implicated in several neuropsychiatric conditions,” said Xu. “These neurons are characterized by their chemical signature of expressing calcium binding protein parvalbumin and the cholecystokinin (CCK) peptide.”
The nervous system uses a balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurons that interact. Without inhibitory neurons, the brain experiences epilepsy and other neurological disorders. The class of neurons that Dr. Xu’s team discovered are very metabolically active and thus require high levels of energy.
“These key inhibitory neurons effectively act as a braking system of the brain to slow down overall activity,” said Xu. “The loss of function of the braking system of the brain leads to abnormal function.”
The team is now studying the very active types of neurons with high energy requirements for potential therapies. They are further examining these neurons to better understand their relationship to neuropsychiatric conditions and their contributions to brain function.
Members of the research team include: Steven F. Grieco, PhD, Kevin G. Johnston, PhD, Pan Gao, B. Maximiliano Garduño,Bryan Tang, Elsie Yi, Yanjun Sun, PhD, Zhaoxia Yu, PhD, Todd C. Holmes, PhD, and Xiangmin Xu, PhD, and their collaborator Gregory Horowitz, PhD, at the University of Washington.
About the UCI School of Medicine
Each year, the UCI School of Medicine educates more than 400 medical students and nearly 150 PhD and MS students. More than 700 residents and fellows are trained at the UCI Medical Center and affiliated institutions. Multiple MD, PhD and MS degrees are offered. Students are encouraged to pursue an expansive range of interests and options. For medical students, there are numerous concurrent dual degree programs, including an MD/MBA, MD/MPH, or an MD/MS degree through one of three mission-based programs: the Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM), the Program in Medical Education for Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (PRIME LEAD-ABC), and the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). The UCI School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation and ranks among the top 50 nationwide for research. For more information, visit medschool.uci.edu.
Funding will help campus become a national center of neuroscience resources
Xiangmin Xu, Autumn Ivy, Bert Semler, Todd Holmes and Orkide Koyuncu (from left) will expand the production and distribution of cell-type-specific viral targeting reagents. Steve Zylius / UCI
UCI has received a $3.8 million BRAIN Initiative grant from the National Institutes of Health to enhance the production and distribution of cell-type-specific viral targeting reagents that are emerging as critical tools. This funding, leveraging UCI’s designation as a minority-serving institution, will enable the expansion of adeno-associated virus production at the campus’s Center for Neural Circuit Mapping. Xiangmin Xu, UCI professor of anatomy & neurobiology and CNCM director, and Gordon Fishell, professor of neurobiology at Harvard University, are co-principal investigators. “We have a strong neuroscience reagent core facility at UCI and will collaborate closely with Harvard University and the Broad Institute to scale up and optimize production and distribution processes for viruses that they have designed. We are proud that UCI has become a national center of viral resources, which strengthens the U.S. scientific enterprise,” Xu said. Partners also include scientists and trainees from Pomona’s Western University of Health Sciences and Atlanta’s Morehouse School of Medicine, as well as UCI’s Todd Holmes, professor of physiology and biophysics; Bert Semler, Distinguished Professor of microbiology and molecular genetics; Autumn Ivy, assistant professor of pediatrics; and Orkide Koyuncu, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics. This work is supported by NIH award number U24MH13326.
“By shedding light on the intricate molecular changes that occur in Alzheimer’s disease, we anticipate that we will be able to fully characterize the neuronal circuits and disease vulnerability at the cellular level,” says principal investigator Xiangmin Xu, UCI professor and Chancellor’s Fellow of anatomy & neurobiology and director of the campus’s Center for Neural Circuit Mapping.
Irvine, Calif., June 15, 2023 — The University of California, Irvine has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to lead a multi-institutional study of specific brain cell vulnerabilities to abnormal tau protein deposits in regions affected in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
“We’re seeking to gain deeper insights into the intricate cellular and spatial molecular changes behind the loss of cells and connectivity that occurs in this disease,” said principal investigator Xiangmin Xu, UCI professor and Chancellor’s Fellow of anatomy & neurobiology and director of the campus’s Center for Neural Circuit Mapping. “This research has the potential to revolutionize our understanding and may pave the way for the development of targeted therapeutic strategies.”
Current literature offers information about the molecular changes in the brain from a heterogeneous cell population perspective. This project will involve the analysis of single cells and specific brain regions in mouse models to discover the mechanisms by which tau protein deposits influence the occurrence of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
“We will leverage the team’s strong expertise in single-cell and spatial transcriptomics and epigenomics, which are advanced, state-of-the-art techniques in the study of genes within individual cells and the factors that influence their behavior, to gain new biological insights at an unprecedented cellular and spatial resolution. The strong collaborative infrastructure and resources of the CNCM, supported by the School of Medicine and campus Office of Research, will also be critical to this large-scale, multi-institutional project,” Xu said.
Other UCI team members include Kim Green, professor and vice chair of neurobiology and behavior; Grant MacGregor, professor of developmental and cell biology; and Gopi Meenakshisundaram, professor of computer science. Michael Koob, associate professor of laboratory medicine and pathology, and Timothy Ebner, department head and professor of neuroscience, both from the University of Minnesota, as well as Bing Ren, professor of cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego, are the other major investigators on the project.
This work is funded by the NIH’s National Institute on Aging under award number 1R01AG082127.
About UCI’s Brilliant Future campaign: Publicly launched on Oct. 4, 2019, the Brilliant Future campaign aims to raise awareness and support for UCI. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UCI seeks to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. The School of Medicine plays a vital role in the success of the campaign. Learn more by visiting https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu/uci-school-of-medicine.
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.
The Center for Neural Circuit Mapping (CNCM), the Center for Hearing Research (CHR), and the Departments of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, and Anatomy and Neurobiology cordially invite you to a special lecture by Dr. Fan-Gang Zeng, and a joint reception on May 2 at the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB). The events will celebrate Dr. Zeng’s election to the National Academy of Engineering. Our campus and school leaderships will make remarks. Please join us in celebrating the collaborative achievements of the Schools of Medicine, Biological Sciences, Engineering, Information and Computer Science, Social Sciences, Pharmacy, and other academic units.
Organizers: Karina Cramer, Christine Gall, Todd Holmes, Raju Metherate, Virginia Richards, Tjoson Tjoa, and Xiangmin Xu
