Dongming Cai, MD, PhD

E-MAIL: [email protected]

Advising Statement

Research Interests:

Our research program has been focused on studying the regulation of brain lipid composition and metabolism by ApoE isoforms in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathogenesis. One of our current research projects is to develop preclinical candidates and new chemical scaffolds for AD therapies. More importantly, we will investigate mechanistic actions of newly developed drug candidates in AD which will shed lights on understanding pathways underlying ApoE-associated AD pathogenesis. In parallel, another major lab focus is to understand the mechanisms underlying ApoE4-associated impairment in phospholipid homeostasis and AD development. We recently characterized a novel regulatory role of a microRNA in the ApoE4-PIP 2 -synj1 pathway. Our current effort is to further evaluate therapeutic and diagnostic implications of this miRNA in AD. Other projects in the lab are focusing on exploring the interaction between ApoE4 and other risk factors such as traumatic brain injury and female sex in AD development and progression. We also work on investigating the role of ApoE isoforms in injury models such as spinal cord injury. Our research group has close collaboration with Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Department of Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacological Studies in Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Publications

• Zhong MZ, Peng T, Duarte ML, Wang M, Cai D. Updates on mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Neurodegener. 2024 Mar 11;19(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s13024-024-00712-0. PMID: 38462606; PMCID: PMC10926682.
• Valencia-Olvera AC, Balu D, Moore A, Shah M, Ainis R, Xiang B, Saleh Y, Cai D, LaDu MJ, Tai LM. APOE2 Heterozygosity Reduces Hippocampal Soluble Amyloid-β42 Levels in Non-Hyperlipidemic Mice. J Alzheimers Dis. 2024;97(4):1629-1639. doi: 10.3233/JAD-231210. PMID: 38306049.
• Guo L, Cao J, Hou J, Li Y, Huang M, Zhu L, Zhang L, Lee Y, Duarte ML, Zhou X, Wang M, Liu CC, Martens Y, Chao M, Goate A, Bu G, Haroutunian V, Cai D*, Zhang B*. Sex specific molecular networks and key drivers of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Neurodegener. 2023 Jun 20;18(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s13024-023-00624-5. PMID: 37340466; PMCID: PMC10280841. (*co-correspondence) June 20;18(1):39. PMCID: PMC10280841
• Cao J, Huang M, Guo L, Zhu L, Hou J, Zhang L, Pero A, Ng S, El Gaamouch F, Elder G, Sano M, Goate A, Tcw J, Haroutunian V, Zhang B, Cai D. MicroRNA-195 rescues ApoE4-induced cognitive deficits and lysosomal defects in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Sep;26(9):4687-4701. doi: 10.1038/s41380-020-0824-3. Epub 2020 Jul 6. PMID: 32632205; PMCID: PMC7785685.