Latest Publications

• Immune checkpoint TIM-3 regulates microglia and Alzheimer's disease April 9, 2025
  Microglia are the resident immune cells in the brain and have pivotal roles in neurodevelopment and neuroinflammation^(1,2). This study investigates the function of the immune-checkpoint molecule TIM-3 (encoded by HAVCR2) in microglia. TIM-3 was recently identified as a genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease³, and it can induce T cell exhaustion⁴. However, its specific […]
  Kimitoshi Kimura
• Radial glia integrin avb8 regulates cell autonomous microglial TGFβ1 signaling that is necessary for microglial identity March 23, 2025
  Microglial diversity arises from the interplay between inherent genetic programs and external environmental signals. However, the mechanisms by which these processes develop and interact within the growing brain are not yet fully understood. Here, we show that radial glia-expressed integrin beta 8 (ITGB8) activates microglia-expressed TGFβ1 to drive microglial development. Domain-restricted deletion of Itgb8 in […]
  Gabriel L McKinsey
• Nasal anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody ameliorates traumatic brain injury, enhances microglial phagocytosis and reduces neuroinflammation via IL-10-dependent T_reg-microglia crosstalk February 27, 2025
  Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in traumatic brain injury (TBI), contributing to both damage and recovery, yet no effective therapy exists to mitigate central nervous system (CNS) injury and promote recovery after TBI. In the present study, we found that nasal administration of an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody ameliorated CNS damage and behavioral deficits in a […]
  Saef Izzy
• Inhaled xenon modulates microglia and ameliorates disease in mouse models of amyloidosis and tauopathy January 15, 2025
  Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. Antiamyloid antibody treatments modestly slow disease progression in mild dementia due to AD. Emerging evidence shows that homeostatic dysregulation of the brain immune system, especially that orchestrated by microglia, plays an important role in disease onset and progression. Thus, a major question is how to modulate […]
  Wesley Brandao
• Microglia in the aged brain develop a hypoactive molecular phenotype after surgery December 19, 2024
  CONCLUSIONS: While anesthesia and surgery induce pro-inflammatory changes in the plasma and brain of mice, microglia adopt a homeostatic molecular phenotype following surgery. This effect seems to be more pronounced in aged mice and is transient. These results challenge the prevailing assumption that surgery activates microglia in the aged brain.
  Zhuoran Yin