معرفی
Dr. Le Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and of Neuroscience at Yale University School of Medicine. She holds primary appointment in the Department of Neurology and secondary appointment in the Department of Neuroscience, with affiliations across multiple research centers including the Center for Brain & Mind Health, Hafler Lab, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, WHRY Pilot Project Program Investigators, Women's Health Research at Yale, Wu Tsai Institute, and Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS).
Dr. Zhang received her educational training through:
- B.S. in Biological Science from Peking University (2004)
- Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Hong Kong (2010)
- Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (2011)
- Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School (2016)
Dr. Zhang's research program focuses on immune responses of the central nervous system in neurodegenerative diseases. Her work integrates cutting-edge single cell technologies, human research and mouse genetics to elucidate the body-to-brain immune axis in both health and disease. She has made significant contributions to understanding neuroinflammation in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder, and Multiple sclerosis. Her laboratory employs advanced techniques including single-cell transcriptomics, proteomics, and computational approaches to unravel complex immune mechanisms in neurological disorders.
An analysis of Dr. Zhang's recent publications (2022-2025) reveals a strong focus on neuroimmunology and single-cell analysis of neurological disorders. Her work spans Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, with particular emphasis on how immune cells interact with the central nervous system. The research employs cutting-edge single-cell technologies to create detailed cellular atlases of diseased brains, revealing novel immune mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.
Dr. Zhang has received several prestigious awards recognizing her research contributions:
- NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Interoception Research Initiative Early-Stage Investigator Award (2023)
- NIH NIDA's Avenir Award (DP2) (2022)
- Yale Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) Research Scholar Award (2021)
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Innovative Research Award (2019)
Dr. Zhang serves as Principal Investigator of the Zhang Lab, which focuses on understanding the immune network of the central nervous system. Her laboratory is actively recruiting highly motivated scientists to work on neuroimmunology and technology development. She has been involved in significant research initiatives including the SCORCH consortium for studying single-cell opioid responses in the context of HIV. Dr. Zhang previously served on the Yale School of Medicine Faculty Advisory Council from 2018-2023.
Dr. Zhang's work has important implications for developing new therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases by targeting the immune system. Her research on the gut-brain axis and body-to-brain immune communication represents a paradigm shift in understanding how peripheral immune responses influence neurological health and disease.
