Xiao-Hong Lu Lab
News
Lu Lab News
![The crew of the Human Exploration Research Analog’s Campaign 7 Mission 1 clasp hands above their simulated space habitat’s elevator shaft. Credit: NASA]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1725548266/lsuhscshreveportedu/nppeddhyslvdqb1qouph/nasalulab.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1725548266/lsuhscshreveportedu/nppeddhyslvdqb1qouph/nasalulab.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1725548266/lsuhscshreveportedu/nppeddhyslvdqb1qouph/nasalulab.png","width":520}])
Lu Lab has been awarded a NASA Human Research Program (HRP) grant to investigate the health risks associated with human missions to Mars and to develop effective countermeasures. Photo credit: NASA
![Xiaohong Lu, PhD photo in an office with desk and computer screens]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1722521736/lsuhscshreveportedu/r4smwifdgflahdbeo0xr/XiaohongLunews.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1722521736/lsuhscshreveportedu/r4smwifdgflahdbeo0xr/XiaohongLunews.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1722521736/lsuhscshreveportedu/r4smwifdgflahdbeo0xr/XiaohongLunews.png","width":520}])
Xiaohong Lu, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Neuroscience, awarded a one-year $506,052 R56 grant from the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
![Erika Reece stands next to a sign for Brookhaven National Laboratory]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1725548578/lsuhscshreveportedu/zxa7we0gcqms6rflhk7u/ErikaReecebrookhavennews.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1725548578/lsuhscshreveportedu/zxa7we0gcqms6rflhk7u/ErikaReecebrookhavennews.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1725548578/lsuhscshreveportedu/zxa7we0gcqms6rflhk7u/ErikaReecebrookhavennews.png","width":520}])
Erika Reece received a NASA EPSCoR RAP grant! Congratulations!
![man speaking from behind podium]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1725549065/lsuhscshreveportedu/hhyfbhedxronkgsdgpu7/madisonspeakingnews.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1725549065/lsuhscshreveportedu/hhyfbhedxronkgsdgpu7/madisonspeakingnews.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1725549065/lsuhscshreveportedu/hhyfbhedxronkgsdgpu7/madisonspeakingnews.png","width":520}])
LSU Health Shreveport hosts an annual Graduate Research Day with a poster contest, speakers and presentations.
![man wearing glasses]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1725549790/lsuhscshreveportedu/xymqrkabzhggvzz9w9bg/MychalGramesnews.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1725549790/lsuhscshreveportedu/xymqrkabzhggvzz9w9bg/MychalGramesnews.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1725549790/lsuhscshreveportedu/xymqrkabzhggvzz9w9bg/MychalGramesnews.png","width":520}])
Congratulations, Dr. Mychal Grames! Today, Mychal successfully defended his PhD thesis. He will be starting a postdoctoral position at Northwestern.
![girl wearing sunglasses]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1725549621/lsuhscshreveportedu/mdtrxc0hmlhbxod76rqz/tylernews.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1725549621/lsuhscshreveportedu/mdtrxc0hmlhbxod76rqz/tylernews.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1725549621/lsuhscshreveportedu/mdtrxc0hmlhbxod76rqz/tylernews.png","width":520}])
Tyler received a NASA LaSPACE Graduate Student Fellowship. Congratulations!
![Neuroscience conference 2023 with Capitol building]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1725550089/lsuhscshreveportedu/byw0xwct8gevns41fgp2/sfn2023news.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1725550089/lsuhscshreveportedu/byw0xwct8gevns41fgp2/sfn2023news.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1725550089/lsuhscshreveportedu/byw0xwct8gevns41fgp2/sfn2023news.png","width":520}])
Dr. Lu chaired a nanosymposium on COVID-19 and Brain Disorders at SFN 2023, where Jessis Li gave a talk.
![decorative image]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1725550392/lsuhscshreveportedu/fpnbadnyhcn4l6aihjcl/LunewsatISTT.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1725550392/lsuhscshreveportedu/fpnbadnyhcn4l6aihjcl/LunewsatISTT.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1725550392/lsuhscshreveportedu/fpnbadnyhcn4l6aihjcl/LunewsatISTT.png","width":520}])
Dr. Lu was invited to give a plenary talk at the 2023 International Society for Transgenic Technologies meeting in Houston, Texas.
![woman and man stand holding certificates]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1725552658/lsuhscshreveportedu/feequi942ixodqbndeqc/MychalandXinlinews.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1725552658/lsuhscshreveportedu/feequi942ixodqbndeqc/MychalandXinlinews.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1725552658/lsuhscshreveportedu/feequi942ixodqbndeqc/MychalandXinlinews.png","width":520}])
Mychal and Xinli won awards at the Society of Toxicology meeting in 2023. Mychal received the Graduate Student Achievement Award and a Travel Award, while Xinli earned the Best Paper Award. Congratulations!
!["DNA damage viewed with unprecedented clarity!" Lu lab's Science Advances paper was featured by Scientist magazine and was selected paper of month by NIEHS]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1645214017/lsuhscshreveportedu/o9er3nfkgxm8pjfe2doa/SA2.bmp","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1645214017/lsuhscshreveportedu/o9er3nfkgxm8pjfe2doa/SA2.bmp","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1645214017/lsuhscshreveportedu/o9er3nfkgxm8pjfe2doa/SA2.bmp","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1645214017/lsuhscshreveportedu/o9er3nfkgxm8pjfe2doa/SA2.bmp","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1645214017/lsuhscshreveportedu/o9er3nfkgxm8pjfe2doa/SA2.bmp","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1645214017/lsuhscshreveportedu/o9er3nfkgxm8pjfe2doa/SA2.bmp","width":2200}])
Research
Dr. Lu’s research focuses on the molecular genetics and therapy of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders and the development of innovative neuroscience technologies. Dr. Lu completed his postdoctoral training in molecular genetics and neuroscience and was appointed as an Assistant Researcher at the Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Lu developed the first BAC transgenic Parkinson’s disease (PD) mouse model that recapitulates the cardinal features of PD (licensed by Sanofi Aventis for drug discovery). His translational study of Huntington’s disease (HD) identified a novel therapeutic strategy (Science Translational Medicine, 2015; Highlighted in Nature Review Drug Discovery, and was selected as the most influential paper of 2015). Dr. Lu invented single-cell BAC transgenic technology (MORF, Mosaicism with Repeat Frameshift) that received support from the first round of the Brain Initiative award and was recently highlighted in NIH director's blog. Funded by a NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Lu lab generated the next-generation mouse model for schizophrenia (Mol Psychiatry-Nature, 2019). Lu lab recently developed a genetic sensor of DNA damage response, exploiting virus-host DNA damage response interaction (Science Advances, 2022). Lu lab also explores the future of medicine and invented a robust method for efficient and precise CRISPR/Cas9 mediated genome editing in the adult mammalian brains. Dr. Lu is funded by grants from NIEHS, NASA, and NIGMS.
Lab and research methods
Genetic Engineering, BAC Transgenesis, CRISPR/Cas9, Single Neuron Genetics (MORF), Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning, Wireless Optogenetics, Two-Photon Microscopy, Pharmacogenetics, Tissue Clearing and Volume Imaging, Preclinical Drug Trial, AAV and gene therapy, Miniature Microscope, NGS and Single-Cell Omics, Human iPSc derived neurons, Human Brain Organoid and Tissue Reprogramming, IVIS in vivo imaging.
RESEARCH
Mission to Mars and the Risk of Neurodegeneration (Funded by NASA 80NSSC21K0273).
 As NASA plans future exploration missions to the Martian surfaces, there is growing concern that space radiation exposure during long-term exploration missions to Mars or other destinations may initiate or accelerate the progression of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. To use the genetic sensor to visualize space radiation induced neurodegeneration, we invented a method employing an unsupervised deep learning network to augment the quality of volume imaging in the tissue-cleared whole brains. Our studies will support Human Space Exploration by contributing the first genetic biodosimetry for quantifying brain DNA instability and neurodegenerative changes to predict clinical health outcomes in human spaceflight crews and the utility of available ground-based analogs to realize basic mechanisms that can lead to the development of biologic countermeasures. Postdocs or graduate students working on this project will have the opportunity to apply NASA fellowship and work at NASA facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Environmental and viral trigger of aging-dependent cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders (Funded by NIEHS R21ES031211-01A1 and intramural SARS-COV-2 awards)  Does the exposure to weed killer or SARS-CoV-2 infection increase our risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD)? The majority of all PD cases have no identifiable inheritance and occur in a sporadic form. Environmental risk factors (e.g., virus infection, pesticide/herbicides, exposure to metals, solvents and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and head trauma) have been speculated as a trigger to the sporadic PD. To explore the pathogenic significance of environmental toxicant and virus exposure in sporadic neurodegenerative disorders, we designed a novel single-neuron genetic sensor. Our project also invented a small animal model with the faithful recapitulation of human ACE2 expression that is more valuable than most of the existent human ACE2 mouse models for studying pathogenesis, clinical complications, and developing exciting countermeasures for SARS-CoV-2 infection and long-haul COVID. Can immunity dictate our social behavior? A VIP link between immune dysfunction and autism (Funded by NIGMS P20GM134974-01A1).  From an evolutionary perspective, for many millions of years, human behavior, especially sociality, has been shaped by two ancient battling forces: pathogens and the immune system. Sickness behavior or avoidance of social interaction in Autism could thus be viewed as an immune input into the brain to evade the spreading of pathogens. Our study begins to quest if immune inputs can indeed affect neural circuits and behavior. This project addresses the critical questions of whether, when, and how a dysfunctional immunity can cause social deficits? Besides, whether the immune system can be therapeutically targeted to ameliorate social symptoms in autism? In this project, we will develop next generation of antipsychotic drugs using a highly potent small molecule antagonist developed in our lab in an ongoing collaboration with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and determine its efficacy to ameliorate social deficits. Non-invasive Therapeutic Brain Genome Editing in Non-Human Primates (Collaboration with MD Anderson and Caltech)  CRISPR technology, a gene-editing tool that can be used to splice and alter the DNA inside a cell, has been hailed as the future of medicine. However, due to the complex anatomy, cell-type diversity, lack of simple, noninvasive delivery methods, and the challenge to evaluate the outcome, therapeutic genome editing in the central nervous system (CNS) has been largely limited. In order to overcome these hurdles, our lab has developed a neurotropic genome editing approach for a noninvasive, wide-scale, and dose-dependable genome editing method in adult mammalian brains. In collaboration with MD Anderson, for the first time, Lu lab is realizing brain genome editing in Non-Human Primates.
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Publications
Selected Publications (out of more than 40)
1. Madison Wynne El-Saadi, Xinli Tian, Mychal Grames, Michael Ren, Kelsea Keys, Hanna Li, Erika Knott, Hong Yin, Shile Huang, Lu XH, Tracing brain genotoxic stress in Parkinson’s disease with a novel single-cell genetic sensor. Science Advances (Impact factor: 16.419), Vol 8, Issue 15 • DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd1700, 2022
2. Xinli Tian, Adam Richard, Madison Wynne El-Saadi, Aakriti Bhandari, Isabella Van Savage, Kevlyn Holmes, Ronald L. Klein, Donard Dwyer, Nicholas E. Goeders, X. William Yang, Lu XH*. Dosage sensitivity intolerance of VIPR2 microduplication is disease causative to manifest schizophrenia-like phenotypes in a novel BAC transgenic mouse model. Molecular Psychiatry-Nature (Impact factor: 15.99). Aug 23. doi:10.1038/s41380-019-0492-3. Link
3. Adam Richard; Xinli Tian; Madison W El-Saadi; Lu XH. Erasure of striatal chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan associated extracellular matrix rescues aging-dependent decline of motor learning, Neurobiology of aging, 2018 Jul 23;71:61-71. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.07.008.
4. Richard AD, Lu XH. “Teaching old dogs new tricks”: targeting neural extracellular matrix for normal and pathological aging-related cognitive decline. Neural Regen Res 2019;14:578-81.
5. Grames, M. S., Dayton, R. D., Jackson, K. L., Richard, A. D., Lu XH., Klein, R. L. Cre-dependent AAV vectors for highly targeted expression of disease-related proteins and neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra. FASEB J. 2018 Mar 7:fj201701529RR
6. Lu XH, Yang XW. Genetically-directed Sparse Neuronal Labeling in BAC Transgenic Mice through Mononucleotide Repeat Frameshift. Scientific Report. 2017 Mar 8;7:43915 (Featured in NIH director's blog).
7. Lu XH, Mattis VB, Wang N, Al-Ramahi I, van den Berg N, Fratantoni SA, Waldvogel H, Greiner E, Osmand A, Elzein K, Xiao J, Dijkstra S, de Pril R, Vinters HV, Faull R, Signer E, Kwak S, Marugan JJ, Botas J, Fischer DF, Svendsen CN, Munoz-Sanjuan I, Yang XW. Targeting ATM ameliorates mutant Huntingtin toxicity in cell and animal models of Huntington's disease. Science Translational Medicine (Impact factor: 17.99). 2015; Highlighted in Nature Review Drug Discovery (Impact factor: 84.69). Huntington Disease: Banking on ATM. 2015;14(2):92-3; Selected as the most influential paper of 2014-2015 by HD insight.
8. Wang N, Gray M, Lu XH, Cantel J, Greiner E, Gu X, Shirasaki D, Cepeda C, Holey S. Dong H, Levine M, Yang XW. Neuronal Targets of Mutant Huntingtin Genetic Reduction to Prevent HD Pathogenesis in Mice. Nature Medicine (Impact factor: 53.44), 20, 536–541 (2014)
9. Langfelder, P., Cantle, J.P., Chatzopoulou, D., Wang, N., Gao, F., Al-Ramahi, I., Lu, X.H., Ramos, E.M., El-Zein, K., Zhao, Y., Deverasetty, S., Tebbe, A., Schaab, C., Lavery, D.J., Howland, D., Kwak, S., Botas, J., Aaronson, J.S., Rosinski, J., Coppola, G., Horvath, S., and Yang, X.W. (2016). Integrated genomics and proteomics define huntingtin CAG length-dependent networks in mice. Nature Neuroscience (Impact factor: 24.88). 19: 623-633.
10.Lu XH and Yang XW. “Huntingtin Holiday”: Progress towards an antisense therapy for Huntington’s disease. Neuron (Impact factor: 17.17), 74(6):964-6, 2012
11. Veldman, M.B., Rios-Galdamez, Y., Lu, XH., Gu, X., Qin, W., Li, S., Yang, X.W. and Lin, S. (2015). The N17 domain mitigates nuclear toxicity in a novel zebrafish Huntington’s disease model. Molecular Neurodegeneration (Impact factor: 14.2). 10: 1-16.
12. Peñagarikano O, Lázaro MT, Lu XH, Gordon A, Dong H, Lam HA, Peles E, Maidment NT, Murphy NP, Yang XW, Golshani P, Geschwind DH. Exogenous and evoked oxytocin restores social behavior in the Cntnap2 mouse model of autism. Science Translational Medicine (Impact factor: 17.99), 2015 21;7(271):271ra8.
13 Haustein MD, Kracun S, Lu XH, Jackson-Weaver O, Tong X, Xu J, Yang XW , Marvin J, Looger L & Khakh BS: Conditions and constraints for astrocyte calcium excitability in a neuronal circuit. Neuron (Impact factor: 17.17) 2014 Apr 16;82(2):413-29.12.
14. Lu XH, Fleming SM, Meurers B, Ackerson LC, Mortazavi F, Lo V, Hernandez D, Sulzer D, Jackson GR, Maidment NT, Chesselet MF, Yang XW. BAC transgenic mice expressing a truncated mutant parkin exhibit age-dependent hypokinetic motor deficits, dopaminergic neuron degeneration, and accumulation of proteinase K-resistant alpha-synuclein. J. Neuroscience, 29: 1962–1976, 2009 (Highlighted by J Neurosci 2009 Jun 10;29(23):7392-4. Mice expressing mutant parkin exhibit hallmark features of Parkinson's disease).
15. Lu XH. Book title: Novel Approaches to Studying Basal Ganglia and Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Publisher: Elsevier Science, 2009. Hardcover ISBN: 9780123748942; eBook ISBN: 9780080953878.
Patents:
1. Humanized vipr2 copy number variant transgenic mouse model for antipsychotic drug and gene therapy discovery for schizophrenia. US20220090124A1. Inventor: Xiaohong Lu, Xinli Tian; Assignee: Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
2. Humanized mouse model susceptible to emerging coronaviruses. US20220039362A1. Inventor: Xiaohong Lu, Xinli Tian; Assignee: Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
3. Methods of treating neurodegenerative disorders. US20180133262A1. Inventor: Yuping Wang, Xiaohong Lu. Assignee: Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Team
Xinli Tian, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Erika Knott, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Jiyu Li, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Clifton Haacker
Ph.D. Candidate
Tyler Lofton
Graduate Student
Past lab members
Mychal Grames, Ph.D.
Alumnus (Ph.D. Program)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Scholar
Adam Richard, Ph.D.
Alumnus (Ph.D. Program)
Current Position: Study Director - Safety Pharmacology
Hanna Li
Former Research Associate
Michael Ren
Former Research Associate
Madison Wynne El-Saadi, Ph.D.
Alumnus (Ph.D. Program)
Current Position: BioTech Equity Research Associate
Hongbo Zhang, PhD
Former Postdoctoral Scholar
Natalie Dodson
Former Research Associate
Laura Rivers
Former Medical Student
positions
Post-doctoral Fellows
We are currently recruiting Post-doctoral Fellows for multiple funded projects. To enquire about opportunities, contact Dr. Lu at xiaohong.lu@lsuhs.edu.
Graduate Students
We are currently recruiting Graduate Students for multiple funded projects. To enquire about opportunities, contact Dr. Lu at xiaohong.lu@lsuhs.edu.
Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows
The Lu laboratory has a number of research projects available for any Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows interested in performing neuroscience research.
contact
Contact Us
LSU Health Shreveport
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Neuroscience
1501 Kings Hwy
Shreveport, LA 71103
Lab: BRI F5-12
Email: xiaohong.lu@lsuhs.edu
Office: (318) 675-4256
Lab Website
