معرفی
Weili Xu is a Professor in Geriatric Epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, where she leads the Cardiometabolic Factors, Brain Aging, and Dementia Care research group within the Aging Research Center (ARC). Her work spans multiple interdisciplinary collaborations across the university and with international institutions.
Dr. Xu's research focuses on the complex interplay between cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, nutrition, and dementing disorders. Her team investigates how cardiometabolic conditions, organ function, and nutritional status relate to brain pathologies and dementia risk. They explore compensatory factors that may support healthier cognitive aging despite cardiometabolic diseases and examine care utilization patterns among people with dementia. Her research integrates epidemiological methods with clinical insights to address critical questions in aging and cognitive health.
Analysis of Xu's recent publications reveals a strong trend toward examining multimorbidity patterns in aging populations, particularly the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome and its relationship to cognitive decline. Her work increasingly incorporates advanced neuroimaging techniques and examines modifiable lifestyle factors that might mitigate dementia risk, even among those with genetic predisposition or established cardiometabolic conditions. The research demonstrates a sophisticated integration of population health approaches with detailed biological mechanisms.
- Elderly and Ageing 2024 Grant from Forte (2025-2027)
As a dedicated mentor, Dr. Xu has supervised 7 PhD students (with 6 successfully defended at Karolinska Institutet), including Abigail Dove, Sakura Sakakibara, and Jie Guo. Her research is supported by multiple prestigious funding sources including the Swedish Research Council, Forte, Konung Gustaf V:s och Drottning Victorias Frimurarestiftelse, and Alzheimerfonden. These grants have enabled her team to conduct large-scale population studies examining how cardiorespiratory fitness, dietary patterns, and other lifestyle factors interact with genetic risk to influence dementia trajectories.
Dr. Xu leads a dynamic research team including postdoctoral researchers Abigail Dove and Rongrong Yang, PhD student Sakura Sakakibara, and affiliated researchers including Professor Johan Fastbom and Associate Professor Anders Sköldunger. The group operates within Karolinska Institutet's Aging Research Center, utilizing extensive population-based cohorts and collaborating with international research networks to advance understanding of dementia prevention and care.
