Journal of Stem Cell Research & Therapy

Haigang Gu

Haigang Gu
Postdoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville
USA

Biography

Haigang Gu, cuurently Postdoctoral researcher in Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, USA. Haigang Gu has received his PhD in also in Emory University during the period of 2010-2011.

Research Interest

My current research is to understand how transcriptional factors affect neuronal differentiation and maturation and synaptic transmission and recycling in vitro and in vivo using stem cell-derived neurons, primary cultured neurons and brain slices by whole cell patch clamp recording and super-resolution live cell imaging. The underlying mechanisms could be extended to illustrate the functional recovery of neurological disease treated by drugs and stem cells. Recently, I have cloned most of neuronal transcriptional factors (15 genes) in lentiviral-based vector and packaged these vectors in lentivirus. We have developed some new protocols to induce stem cells, embryonic stem cells and neural stem cells to differentiate into neurons using defined chemicals and transcriptional factors related to neuronal differentiation and maintenance. Furthermore, we have made substantial progress on the synaptic transmission and recycling trafficking in cultured hippocampus, cortical and midbrain neurons. My research has been mainly focus on understanding (1) the mechanisms of proliferation and neuronal differentiation of embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells, such as neural stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells, (2) stem cell-based therapies for the treatment of such as Alzheimer’s disease and ischemic stroke, and (3) sustained release neurotrophic factors or neurotrophic factor genes for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. I have strong background and extensive experience in molecular and cellular biology, stem cell culture and differentiation, whole cell patch clamp recording in cultured cells, live cell imaging as well as animal models, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease and ischemic stroke.