Qinglan Ling

Qinglan Ling, PhD, serves as Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School with primary appointments in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine (Departments of Genetic and Cellular Medicine, Microbiology, and NeuroNexus Institute) and Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, Millennium MD/PhD Program, and Translational Science).

Educational background:

• BS Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing
• MS Neuropharmacology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing
• PhD Pharmacology, University of Houston

Dr. Ling's research pioneers genetic therapies for mitochondrial diseases with neurological manifestations, focusing on conditions involving both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA mutations. Her work bridges molecular neuroscience and translational medicine through adeno-associated viral vector development, neuroprotective strategies, and preclinical modeling of disorders like Leigh syndrome. Key innovations include "one size fits all" gene therapy approaches and prostacyclin-based neuroprotection mechanisms.

Publications reveal a concentrated trajectory in neurological gene therapy since 2016, evolving from foundational stroke models to cutting-edge AAV vector applications. Recent high-impact reviews in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (2023) demonstrate leadership in therapeutic translation for mitochondrial disorders.

Scientific recognition:

• K99 NIH Pathway to Independence Award (2022-2024)

Dr. Ling mentors across multiple graduate programs while leading a translatable research program funded through the NIH K99 mechanism. Her work leverages collaborative networks within UMass Chan's NeuroNexus Institute, integrating clinical neurology with genetic engineering to address unmet needs in mitochondrial disease treatment.

Current efforts focus on advancing SURF1-related therapy toward clinical application while expanding mechanistic studies of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegeneration through the NeuroNexus Institute infrastructure.