MUSMedical University of South Carolina · Biology
Pericyte and Neurovascular Health Lab
Hongkuan Fan · Charleston, South Carolina
Research Focus
Dr. Hongkuan Fan's lab at the Medical University of South Carolina focuses on understanding how a specific type of brain cell, called pericytes, is involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease. They study how disruptions in blood flow and the blood-brain barrier affect brain function and contribute to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's. The lab is exploring a molecule called Fli-1 that may play a crucial role in these processes, with the hope of developing new treatment strategies for Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's DiseasepericytesFli-1cerebral blood flowblood-brain barrierneurovascular dysfunctioncognitive impairmentapoptosistherapeutic strategies
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate how Fli-1 regulates pericyte and neurovascular cell dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease models.
AIM 02Understand the mechanisms through which pericyte dysfunction leads to brain hypoperfusion and cognitive impairment.
AIM 03Evaluate the therapeutic potential of Fli-1 Gapmers in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.
Skills the Lab Values
mouse modelscell cultureWestern blotimmunohistochemistryRNA isolationflow cytometryin situ hybridizationmolecular cloninginjections
Output against the department
Publications87bottom 28% of dept.742nd of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.8kbottom 21% of dept.820th 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.