Junxuan Lu

Junxuan Lu, PhD is Professor of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics at Pennsylvania State University, holding the Bernard B. Brodie Professorship since 2023. He maintains significant affiliations with the Penn State Cancer Institute (Next-Generation Therapies program), Penn State Neuroscience Institute, and the Center for Cannabis and Natural Product Pharmaceuticals (CCNPP), reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of his research.

Dr. Lu's research program focuses on two primary areas: 1) Natural products and compounds for preclinical studies and human clinical trials, particularly Korean angelica root (pyranocoumarins) as a novel class of anti-androgens for prostate cancer; and 2) Next-generation selenium compounds for cancer chemoprevention. His work has established methylselenol-generators as preferable selenium forms over selenite and selenomethionine, pioneering the assessment of apoptosis, angiogenesis, and senescence in selenium-chemoprevention. He has completed the first-in-human PK study of pyranocoumarins and is currently conducting early-stage clinical trials in prostate cancer patients.

Analysis of Dr. Lu's 147 research outputs reveals a clear trajectory from basic molecular mechanisms to clinical translation. His recent publications (2023-2025) show increasing emphasis on clinical applications of natural products (angelica extracts, cannabinoids, and kava) across multiple cancer types, with substantial focus on prostate cancer but expanding to lung, pancreatic, and other cancers. The research spans multi-omics approaches (transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic) to human clinical trials, demonstrating a systematic progression from discovery to application.

Dr. Lu has secured significant research funding including an active National Cancer Institute grant for early clinical trials of Angelica herbal supplements for prostate cancer interception (2022-2025). His previous projects include translational development studies for castration-resistant prostate cancer (2018-2021), prevention of prostate carcinogenesis by next-generation selenium (2013-2020), and mechanisms of prostate cancer prevention by Korean Angelica (2012-2015). His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to good health and well-being, with particular relevance to cancer prevention and treatment.

Dr. Lu's research fingerprint demonstrates exceptional expertise in Prostate Cancer (100%), Malignant Neoplasm (87%), Selenium (56%), Methylseleninic Acid (56%), Protein P53 (45%), Apoptosis (44%), Carcinogenesis (42%), and Prostate Cancer Cells (40%), reflecting his specialized contributions to cancer chemoprevention and molecular oncology.