Media Coverage

Technology Networks published a story on a study led by Jian Feng, professor of physiology and biophysics in the Jacobs School. The research has important implications for developing future treatments for Parkinson’s disease, a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement and often includes tremors. “In this study, we find a method to differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to A9 dopamine neurons (A9 DA), which are lost in Parkinson’s disease,” Feng says. “These neurons are pacemakers that continuously fire action potentials regardless of excitatory inputs from other neurons. Their pacemaking property is very important to their function and underlies their vulnerability in Parkinson’s disease.”

Medical Xpress published a story on how a new study from Jian Feng, professor of physiology and biophysics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has important implications for developing future treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Feng is the senior author on the paper published May 24 in Molecular Psychiatry. "This exciting breakthrough is a critical step forward in efforts to better understand Parkinson's disease and how to treat it," said Allison Brashear, MD, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School. "Jian Feng and his team are to be commended for their innovation and resolve."

ABC Radio in Australia interviewed Jian Feng, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics, in a story titled, "Chimeras in medicine," involving the possibility that in the future, humans may be able to grow organs in animals to be safely transplanted into humans. Feng says that while progress is being made in the field, certain advances are "pretty far off." Program co-host Carl Smith noted that, "There are plenty of hurdles to jump to reach that goal. One is that the chimeras created so far has a very small proportion of human cells, often around just one-tenth of 1%. Jian Feng's team recently celebrated creating a human–mouse chimera with a higher proportion, but this is still an area that will need more work."

Ruetir, in a story about UB researchers who have revealed the biological mechanisms behind a key risk gene that plays a role in a number of brain diseases, including autism spectrum disorder, quoted Zhen Yan, senior author of the study and a SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in the Jacobs School. “These results have revealed the critical role of a top-ranking autism spectrum disorder risk factor in regulating synaptic gene expression and seizures, which provides insights into treatment strategies for related brain diseases,” said Yan. Niagara Frontier Publications also provided coverage.

SciTechDaily and Jioforme.com reported on UB researchers who demonstrated in a study how to produce millions of mature human cells in a mouse embryo. The articles quote Jian Feng, professor of physiology and biophysics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. “This paper will enable many scientists to use this new platform to study the human disease of their interest,” said Feng. “Over time, it will transform biomedical research toward a more effective use of the human model system to directly study virtually any inborn condition of an individual. It will stimulate unforeseen discoveries and applications that may fundamentally change our understanding of human biology and medicine.”

Scientific news websites published articles on UB research that demonstrated that it was possible to produce millions of mature human cells in a mouse embryo. The ability to produce mature human cells in a living organism is critical if the ultimate promise of stem cells to treat or cure human disease is to be realized. “This paper will enable many scientists to use this new platform to study the human disease of their interest,” said Jian Feng, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics. Feng added, “Over time, it will transform biomedical research toward a more effective use of the human model system to directly study virtually any inborn condition of an individual. It will stimulate unforeseen discoveries and applications that may fundamentally change our understanding of human biology and medicine."

Medical Xpress reported on preclinical research by Zhen Yan, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of physiology and biophysics, that found that the stress of chronic social isolation causes male and female adolescents to respond differently, with males exhibiting increased aggression and females exhibiting social withdrawal.

News sources reported on research led by Jian Feng, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics, about a cell replacement therapy for blindness caused by loss of photoreceptors. The study demonstrated that adult human retinal pigment cells can be converted to neurons that exhibit many properties of photoreceptors. Photoreceptor degeneration is a leading cause of blindness.

A published report on UB research tells how inhibiting certain enzymes involved in abnormal gene transcription may offer a way to restore memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease. “By treating AD mouse models with a compound to inhibit these enzymes, we were able to normalize gene expression, restore neuronal function and ameliorate cognitive impairment,” says senior author Zhen Yan, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics.

Memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be able to be restored by inhibiting certain enzymes involved in abnormal gene transcription, according to a preclinical study led by Zhen Yan, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of physiology and biophysics. “In this study, we have found that administration of a specific Sgk1 inhibitor significantly reduces the dysregulated form of tau protein that is a pathological hallmark of AD, restores prefrontal cortical synaptic function, and mitigates memory deficits in an AD model,” she says. “These results have identified Sgk1 as a potential key target for therapeutic intervention of AD, which may have specific and precise effects.”

Articles report on UB researchers who are developing a sensitive and reliable new protocol for assessing social deficits in animal models of autism and certain psychiatric conditions, which is expediting the search for effective treatments. “The protocol we developed is facilitating studies on social behaviors and mental disorders related to social impairment," said Zhen Yan, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of physiology and biophysics.

Articles report on UB research in which scientists have generated millions of mature human cells in mouse embryos and quote study co-author Jian Feng, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics. “Further development of our technology could enable the generation of even larger quantities of specific types of mature human cells to allow us to create more effective mouse models to study diseases that gravely affect humans, such as malaria or COVID-19,” Feng said.

The University at Buffalo has received a $2.2 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to develop a new method for diagnosing Parkinson’s disease before the onset of clinical symptoms. Called “Molecular Segregation of Parkinson’s Disease by Patient Derived Neurons,” the research will be led by Jian Feng, PhD, principal investigator and professor of physiology and biophysics.

Congressman Brian Higgins announced the award of a five-year federal grant totaling $2,224,925 for the development of a method to accurately diagnose Parkinson’s disease before clinical symptoms are present. Principal investigator Jian Feng, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics, notes: “When we generated induced pluripotent stem cells from a group of Parkinson’s disease patients and a group of normal subjects, we found that there were many significant differences in the expression levels of genes controlling the production, utilization and degradation of dopamine. Thus, we want to investigate this further with the goal of developing a method for the objective diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. It might also allow us to predict years in advance, who may develop Parkinson’s.”

WBFO reports that a team of researchers from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has received more than $2.2 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for development of a method to accurately diagnose Parkinson’s disease before clinical symptoms are present. Jian Feng, PhD, principal investigator and professor of physiology and biophysics, said the grant will allow researchers to work toward a goal of developing a method for the objective diagnosis, and might allow doctors to predict years in advance who might develop the disease.