The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio · BiologyThe Hippo Neuroprotective Lab
Qitao Ran · San Antonio, Texas
Research Focus
Dr. Qitao Ran's research lab at the University of Texas Health Science Center focuses on Alzheimer's disease, exploring innovative ways to target the Hippo signaling pathway to develop new treatments. This pathway is crucial for regulating cell growth and survival, and its abnormal activation has been linked to neurodegeneration. The lab conducts studies using mouse models to better understand how inhibiting this pathway can improve cognitive function and protect neurons from damage in Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's diseaseHippo signalingneurodegenerationcell survivalferroptosistherapeutic interventionneuron resilience
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the role of the Hippo signaling pathway in Alzheimer's disease.
AIM 02Evaluate the effects of Hippo signaling inhibition on cognitive function.
AIM 03Examine the mechanisms by which Hippo signaling affects neuron resilience against ferroptosis.
AIM 04Identify potential therapeutic targets within the Hippo signaling pathway.
AIM 05Provide proof-of-concept evidence for novel treatment strategies for Alzheimer's disease.
Skills the Lab Values
mouse modelsgenetic engineeringcell culturegene knockout techniquescognition assessmenttranscriptional analysisdata analysisWestern blotimmunohistochemistry
Output against the department
Publications80bottom 23% of dept.789th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations14ktop 26% of dept.271st 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.