Rutgers University-New Brunswick · BiologyQian Lab
Qian Cai · New Brunswick, New Jersey
Research Focus
Dr. Qian Cai's lab at Rutgers University focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind tauopathies, particularly in Alzheimer's disease. They investigate how communication between cellular organelles, like mitochondria and autophagosomes, impacts the buildup of toxic tau protein and neuronal health. This research aims to identify potential therapeutic targets for treating Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
tauopathiesAlzheimer's diseasemitochondrial dysfunctionautophagyneurodegenerationtau proteindrug developmentcellular communicationfrontotemporal dementiatau-targeting therapy
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the role of TBC1D15 in mediating organelle communication.
AIM 02Determine how defects in autophagosome-mitochondria contact contribute to tau pathology.
AIM 03Characterize the impact of TBC1D15 overexpression on tauopathy-related deficits.
AIM 04Explore new therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease treatment.
AIM 05Advance understanding of neurodegenerative disease mechanisms.
Skills the Lab Values
autophagy analysismouse modelscell cultureimmunofluorescenceWestern blotmolecular cloningPCRRNA isolationconfocal microscopybiochemical assays
Output against the department
Publications94bottom 32% of dept.700th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations19ktop 21% of dept.215th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.