Ye Zhang

Ye Zhang is an Associate Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. He directs the Ye Zhang Lab, which investigates glial cell biology in health and disease using single-cell transcriptomics, proteomics and functional genomics.

Education & Training:

• B.S. Biological Sciences, Tsinghua University (2003)
• Ph.D. Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco (2009)
• Postdoc Neurobiology, Stanford University (2016)

Research Focus:
Dr. Zhang’s research centers on three interconnected themes: (1) astrocyte heterogeneity and maturation, revealing how transcription factors such as Prdm16 and local cues specify astrocyte subtypes across brain regions and species; (2) oligodendrocyte lineage biology and myelination, dissecting secretome profiles, exocytosis pathways and prostaglandin signaling that drive developmental myelination; and (3) microglial and neuro-immune interactions, exploring how lymphocyte status or antimicrobial genes (e.g., Serpin E2) shape glial responses in normal aging and neurodegeneration. His group integrates mouse genetics with human iPSC-derived glia, CRISPRi screens and multi-omics to translate findings to vascular dementia, glioblastoma and inflammatory reactive states.

Recent Publication Trends (2022-2025):
Zhang’s latest 15 papers emphasize single-cell resolution of human and mouse glia, highlighting sex-specific astrocyte maturation, activity-dependent astrocytic translation, oligodendrocyte secretome contributions to extracellular matrix, and interactome remodeling in vascular dementia. These works collectively advance our understanding of glial diversity as a cornerstone for targeted CNS therapies.

Funding & Grants:

• NIH R01NS109025 (PI) – Molecular characterization of reactive astrocytes in humans
• NIH R03AG065772 (PI) – Identification of juvenile protective factors in neuron, glia and vascular cells
• NIH R00NS089780 (PI) – Transcriptional control of astrocyte differentiation
• NIH K99NS089780 (PI) – Career transition award on astrocyte differentiation

Laboratory & Teams:
The Ye Zhang Lab operates within UCLA’s broader neuroscience and stem-cell communities, collaborating extensively with groups at UCSF, Stanford and other UC campuses. The lab maintains active partnerships on NIH-funded projects, sharing omics resources such as the WebSEQ platform to democratize data access.