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RESEARCH INTEREST I

Epigenetic mechanisms of brain disorders

"Epigenetics is general phenomena in our lives!"
Epigenetic changes encompass an array of molecular modifications (methylation, acetylation, etc.) to DNA, RNA, and chromatin without sequence mutation. Growing evidence suggests that epigenetic modifications constitute essential molecular pathways and its impairment contributes to neurodegeneration. In this paradigm, epigenetic changes are expected to be a potential mechanism to explain unresolved phenomena beyond the genetic link with brain diseases. The BINGRE Laboratory studies the epigenetic mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington’s disease (HD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Importantly, epigenetic modifications are reversible while genetic mutations are irreversible. Therefore, from a therapeutic perspective, epigenetic components and modifications are strong candidates for drug targets. In this context, the main interest of BINGRE lab is the development of drug formulations that realign epigenetic balance and ameliorate epigenetic defects associated with brain disorders.

The Focus of Research:

1. Identification of epigenetic targets closely related to brain disorders

2. Revealing the epigenetic mechanisms of neurodegeneration

3. Development of therapeutic agents that epigenetically reverse/treat brain disorders

RESEARCH INTEREST II

Brain pathology and physiology

"Seeing is believing"
Pathological examination of human brain cell types or tissues (Gold Standard) is very important to understand brain diseases. BINGRE Lab is using postmortem brain tissues through MOU with Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (BUADRC). Immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, live cell imaging, electron microscopy, and 3D image construction are being performed to precisely observe the inside of the normal versus neurodegenerative brains with AD, ALS, HD and TBI.

We are recording electropysiological signals with patch-clamp from single neurons or brain tissues to study changes in synaptic activity under various neurodegenerative conditions. In addition, the BINGRE Lab is skillful with state-of-the-art experiments such as ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation) and RNA sequencing, and single cell/nuclei transcriptome as well as with routine experiments such as viral gene delivery, quantitative PCR, and Western blot analysis.

RESEARCH INTEREST III

AI-based behavior analysis

"Now AI rules"
Behavior tests enable the evaluation of intelligence (cognition and memory), motion, and emotion in animal models of brain disorder. BINGRE Lab quantitatively analyzes the movements of primates and mice by calculating the 3-dimentional (3-D) coordination of body parts with AI deep learning.

Not only we are performing electrophysiological simulation of single neuronal activity but also we are defining brain circuits to explain how functional changes are associated with cellular and molecular changes in the brain system.