专题学术讲座
7月9日第三十一期水木清华生命科学讲座系列
发布时间：2015-07-01关键字：
第三十一期水木清华生命科学讲座系列
叶玉如教授是国际知名的神经生物学家。她毕业于美国波士顿Simmons学院获化学和生物学双学士学位，并获美国哈佛大学医学院药理学博士学位，随后任职于Regeneron等国际著名生物医药公司，领导神经生物学的基础研究及药物研发方面的工作。1993年起受聘于香港科技大学，先后出任生物化学系系主任、理学院副院长、生物技术研究所所长；现任香港科技大学理学院院长、晨兴生命科学教授及分子神经科学国家重点实验室主任。
叶教授长期致力于探索神经科学的前沿领域，她在研究脑部发育和可塑性的分子机制，以及相关的神经系统疾病病因等领域作出重要贡献，并从传统中药发现能应用于治疗阿尔兹海默症的新分子标靶。
叶教授的研究成果获得了科学界的广泛认同，在顶尖国际学术期刊发表了超过250篇论文和综述，文献被引用超过17,000次，拥有23项国际科技发明专利权，并兼任多份科学期刊的主编或编委，包括《神经科学杂志》的资深编辑。
叶教授屡获殊荣，先后获颁多个国内外重要学术奖项。她2001年被选为中国科学院院士，2004年她当选为发展中国家科学院院士，另获欧莱雅联合国教科文组织推举为世界杰出女科学家，成为生命科学领域首位得奖的中国人。她于2003年及2011年两度获颁国家自然科学奖，并获得何梁何利科学与技术进步奖。2011年，叶教授获法国政府颁授「国家荣誉骑士勋章」，表彰她的科学成就以及于推动中、法、港在科研与高等教育方面合作的贡献。今年5月叶教授更获美国国家科学院选为外籍院士，这也是美国科学界的最高荣誉之一。
TOPIC:Integrating basic and translational research for brain disorders
Speaker: Nancy Y. Ip
Division of Life Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience,
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
Abstract: Proper brain development and function depends on the intricate interplay of well co-ordinated signaling pathways in neurons, and their dysregulation can lead to cognitive deficits that contribute to various brain disorders. My laboratory is focused on unravelling the molecular mechanisms underlying these pathways in normal and diseased brains to enhance our understanding of brain function as well as identify specific molecular targets associated with brain disorders. In this seminar, I will talk about our recent work which has led to the identification of new targets and drug leads for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Increasing evidence suggests that synaptic dysfunction plays a significant role in the onset and progression of AD, and we have recently identified distinct receptor-mediated signaling pathways (including receptor tyrosine kinases EphA4 and G protein-coupled receptor MC4R) that can regulate synaptic strength and plasticity. Specifically, we have demonstrated EphA4’s role as a negative regulator of synaptic plasticity and its importance in mediating synaptic dysfunctions during progression of AD, thus identifying this receptor as a promising target for drug development. Using an in silico-based virtual screening approach, we have also identified a small molecule EphA4 inhibitor from an in-house traditional Chinese medicine database and confirmed its ability to alleviate synaptic plasticity impairment. Our findings highlight the use of synaptic modulators in treating neurodegenerative diseases, and have opened up new opportunities in AD drug discovery and development.
日期：7月9日（周四）15:00-16:00
地点：清华大学医学科学楼B323
