Brain disease model systems?

To better understand the complex state of the brain pathology, we seek to recapitulate the brain microenvironment that can address changes in physiological activity, cell-cell network, and transcriptome specific to a neurodegenerative disease, traumatic brain injury (TBI), brain cancer, or neuroinflammation.

1. Experimental brain model systems (pathological, diagnostic, regenerative)

    a. Brain cancer project: What do glioma cells urge neurons to do for their growth?

        - cortical organoids, tissue clearing, synaptic network/activity, field recording, single cell analysis

    b. Brain infection project: How do bacterial lipopeptides invade into brain?

        - 3D printed BBB-on-a-chip, stage of activated microglia/astrocytes, real time imaging. 

    c. Hydrocephalus project: How do hemorrhage-induced iron contents induce ventricular enlargement? Can we reverse it?

        - choroid plexus organoids, stereotactic surgeries of mice, biomarker assay, MRI scan

2. Development of new parameters for detection of therapeutic signatures specific to brain disease

    a. Brain cancer project: Quantitative culture model to evaluate the efficacy of CAR-T cells 

        - 3D neural tissue culture matrix, physical and mathematical model

    b. Nerve regeneration project: Electric field and neural differentiation 

       - E-stim platform, single cell analysis, 

       - Image processing (e.g., FFT, Markov chain) to correlate morphological abnomality with transcriptomic changes

Link: https://sites.google.com/view/kwangminlab 

Open positions

We are looking for talented and/or challenging lab members at all levels (graduates, postdocs, research associates). As our research builds on multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields of studies, students/scientists from diverse research background (e.g., biology, neuroscience, immunology, bioinformatics, materials science, electrical engineering) are welcome to apply. If you are interested in our research projects, please send your CV and cover letter (stating your research interest and career goal) to kwangmin@gachon.ac.kr.

Plus, opportunities to work with globally or nationally recognized research institutions will be available. Internship period will also be available to discuss the potential roles in our research projects.