معرفی
Lance A. Johnson, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He is also affiliated with the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and the Nutritional Sciences Graduate Faculty. His research focuses on the role of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) in cerebral metabolism and neurodegeneration, particularly in Alzheimer’s disease.
- Department: Department of Physiology
- School: College of Medicine
- Institution: University of Kentucky
- Lab: Johnson Lab, Healthy Kentucky Research Building
Dr. Johnson’s research investigates how APOE isoforms, especially APOE4, influence brain metabolism through glial contributions. His lab uses transcriptomic and metabolomic techniques across models—from cells to mice to humans—to identify early metabolic dysregulations. Key projects include studying the pentose phosphate pathway, lipid droplet dynamics, and developing the novel APOE 'switch mouse' model to test therapeutic replacement of APOE4 with neuroprotective APOE2.
His recent publications span neuroscience, oncology, metabolism, and clinical research. Notably, he co-authored a 2024 Science perspective on APOE and IDO1 in Alzheimer’s, and contributed to studies in Nature on cancer metastasis and Nature Nanotechnology on gene-editing nanoparticles. These reflect a broad interdisciplinary impact, though his core focus remains on brain aging and metabolic resilience.
Scientific contributions include:
- Development of the APOE 'switch mouse' model
- Creation of the APOE Immunometabolism Database
- Leadership in multi-lab collaborations (e.g., with Morganti and Sun labs)
Dr. Johnson mentors a diverse team of PhD candidates, MD/PhD students, and research analysts. He serves as Director of Graduate Studies in Physiology, indicating active academic leadership. He has not received any explicitly mentioned awards in the provided text. His lab recently relocated to expanded space in the Healthy Kentucky Research Building, supporting ongoing growth. No part-time status or retirement indications are present.
