Glial Cell Biology

Our current research focuses on the pathogenic roles of dysregulated glial cells in the nervous system. Using various knockout/knock-in mice and disease/injury models, we have been investigating glial cells under pathological conditions. We are also interested in the role of glia at the very early stages of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases. Now we are focusing on retinal glia in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases in the eye, such as glaucoma.

What is GLIA?

Glial cells are non-neuronal cell types in the nervous system. They have been considered as just a "glue" between neurons and have no important roles. Researchers have found that Glial cells are not just a support cell type but have essential roles in both physiological and pathological conditions. 

Why GLIA?

Many studies have shown that glial cell are very sensitive to the brain microenvironmental changes. They often become reactive much earlier timepoint before neurons die in various brain diseases and injury models. Our hypothesis is that glial dysfunction is not just a secondary reaction in response to neuronal damages but rather triggers/facilitates the disease.

Eye GLIA

Glial cells are not limited to the brain but also exist in the other neural tissues such as ocular tissue. We are now focusing on glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. The blindness in glaucoma is caused by damage/degeneration of retinal ganglion cells, a subtype of retinal neurons which transduce visual information to the brain. Although it has been reported that ocular glial cells in human patients with glaucoma become reactive, their causal relationship remained to be clarified. Our hypothesis is that glial dysfunction can cause the pathogenesis of glaucoma.