1. Review of Disciplinary Development History
The Neurobiology discipline of Xuzhou Medical University was approved as a master’s degree authorization point in 1996, being the first Neurobiology master’s degree authorization discipline in Jiangsu Province. Its parent first-level discipline of Biology was granted the doctoral degree authorization in 2013. As a university-level key discipline, Neurobiology governs the Neurobiology Research Center (municipal and university-level key laboratory) and Xuzhou Engineering Research Center for the Research and Development of Biologics for Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases.
2. Main Research Directions of the Discipline
The discipline focuses on the neurobiological basis and clinical issues of neurodegenerative diseases. Research is carried out across several levels—disease pathogenesis, screening of predictive and diagnostic biomarkers, and prevention and treatment—establishing three relatively stable research directions.
(1) Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Strategies of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. Its pathological hallmark is the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the formation of Lewy bodies, with clinical manifestations characterized mainly by motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, resting tremor and postural instability, as well as non-motor symptoms including hyposmia, constipation, sleep disorders and cognitive impairment. China currently has approximately 3 million PD patients, and with population aging this number is projected to reach 5 million by 2030. Current evidence suggests that PD pathogenesis is associated with multiple factors, including environmental exposure, oxidative stress, genetic factors, aging, and imbalance of protein and metabolic homeostasis. Because its pathogenic mechanism remains unclear, there is a lack of effective disease-modifying drugs. Centering on dopaminergic neuronal injury, this direction actively investigates the “microglia–dopaminergic neuron” interaction, taking the aberrant activation of microglia as an entry point to study the effects and mechanisms of microglia-derived exosomes and inflammatory molecules on dopaminergic neuronal damage. Meanwhile, it actively explores the regulatory mechanisms by which the terminal degeneration of dopaminergic projections modulates symptoms such as cognitive and motor impairments. This direction has been supported by 5 National Natural Science Foundation of China projects and 3 provincial Natural Science Foundation projects, with 3 authorized national invention patents, 2 municipal/divisional-level second prizes, and over 70 published papers.
(2) Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies of Central White Matter Lesions
Central white matter lesions (WMLs) are common demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, pathologically characterized by destruction, loss or developmental failure of myelin sheaths on nerve fibers. They are observed in stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), epilepsy, schizophrenia and other conditions. Etiologically, they mainly involve infection, intoxication, ischemia, genetics, tumors and trauma; hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and metabolic disorders are also closely associated with the occurrence and progression of WMLs. Early WMLs may be asymptomatic, and after onset predominantly present as motor, cognitive and emotional impairments. Their pathogenesis remains unclear, and clinically there is a lack of clearly effective therapeutic targets. It is currently believed that injury and defective differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are the main causes of failed myelin regeneration or development. Starting from clinical problems, this direction screens predictive and diagnostic indicators for preterm and cerebral-palsy-related conditions using clinical samples, and investigates the mechanisms and regulation of OPC differentiation and myelination failure: (1) Serum from multiple sclerosis patients is collected for proteomic analysis to identify cytokines associated with MS pathogenesis. Using experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse models and Cuprizone-induced MS mouse models together with human and rodent OPCs, it studies the effects of epigenetic modifications, non-coding RNAs and small-molecule drugs on OPC differentiation regulation and myelin regeneration. (2) Serum from preterm infants and clinically diagnosed cerebral-palsy children is collected; through follow-up and combined serum multi-omics analysis, serum biomarkers for abnormal cerebral white matter development are screened. A neonatal hypoxia-ischemia mouse model is used to simulate preterm white matter injury (PWMI) and study the mechanisms of OPC differentiation; stem cell transplantation and small-molecule compounds with clinical translational potential are employed to improve the post-injury microenvironment and promote OPC myelination, providing novel targets for clinical diagnosis and treatment. This direction has undertaken 1 key project of the National Science and Technology Plan on stem cells and translation, 6 NSFC projects and 6 provincial Natural Science Foundation projects, and published over 50 SCI papers.
(3) Mechanisms of Gut-Brain Axis Regulation of Aging-Related Cognitive Dysfunction
The total number of genes in the gut microbiota is about 150 times that of the human genome, earning it the name the body’s “second genome.” The gut microbiota plays important roles in promoting nutrient absorption, vitamin synthesis and maintaining immune system function. As a bridge linking the host with the environment, the microbiota can sense, regulate and alter chemical signals from the environment and transmit them within the body; the bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain is known as the “gut–brain axis.” An intact intestinal barrier inhibits invasion by endogenous pathogenic microbes and provides an important protective function for the host. Gut microbiota disturbance, and its downstream metabolites (such as short-chain fatty acids, serotonin and γ-aminobutyric acid), can influence the occurrence of central nervous system diseases through immune, endocrine, neural and humoral pathways. Based mainly on clinical case–control studies and using transgenic mice as mechanistic models, this direction explores the interaction between the gut microbiota and bile acids and their regulatory effects on lipid metabolism, myelin loss, neuronal injury, glial cell activation and cognitive function.
3. Discipline Leader and Team Introduction
The discipline has 14 faculty members, including 3 professors and 8 associate professors. All 14 members hold doctoral degrees, among whom 2 are doctoral supervisors and 6 are master’s supervisors; 8 researchers have overseas study experience. There are 3 Tier-3 candidates of Jiangsu Provincial “333 High-level Talent Training Project,” 4 high-level talents of Jiangsu Provincial “Six Talent Peaks” Program, 3 Young and Middle-aged Academic Leaders and 2 Outstanding Young Backbone Teachers of Jiangsu Provincial “Qinglan Project,” forming a high-quality research team.
Profile of Discipline Leader
Baole Zhang, Ph.D., Professor and Master’s Supervisor, Deputy Director of the Department of Cell Biology and Neurobiology. He is a candidate of Jiangsu Provincial “333 High-level Talent Project,” a candidate of Jiangsu Provincial “Six Talent Peaks” Program, an Outstanding Young Backbone Teacher of Jiangsu Provincial “Qinglan Project,” an expert in the Jiangsu Provincial Science and Technology Consulting Expert Database, a member of the Chinese Society for Neurobiology, a young editorial board member of the Journal of Xuzhou Medical University, and a reviewer for journals such as Carcinogenesis, Molecular Neurobiology and Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica. In 2012, he received his Ph.D. in Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction from Nanjing Agricultural University, conducting research on functional genomics. From 2013 to 2015, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Postdoctoral Research Station of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, studying the epigenetic mechanisms of GDNF overexpression in glioma cells. From March 2017 to March 2018, he was a visiting scholar at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Germany, investigating the mechanisms by which microglia promote glioma initiation and progression. His current main research direction is the initiation and progression mechanisms of glioma. He has presided over or completed 1 NSFC project, 3 provincial/ministerial-level projects and 3 municipal/divisional-level projects; as first author or corresponding author he has published 23 research papers, including 15 SCI-indexed papers in international journals such as Clinical Epigenetics and Molecular Neurobiology; he has obtained 4 authorized national invention patents and published 2 teaching papers. His research achievements won 2 second prizes of the Jiangsu Provincial Universities Science and Technology Research Achievement Award (Natural Science) and 1 first prize and 1 second prize of the Xuzhou City Excellent Natural Science Academic Paper. He guided undergraduates to win 1 third prize in the National College Students’ Life Science Competition (scientific inquiry category) and 3 National College Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program projects. He currently supervises 5 master’s students.
4. Scientific Research Status
In recent years, the discipline has undertaken more than 30 research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and provincial/ministerial agencies, together with 3 provincial teaching reform projects. Over 130 SCI-indexed research papers and 15 teaching papers have been published. Research achievements have won 2 Second Prizes and 1 Third Prize of the Science and Technology Research Achievement Award (Natural Science) for Jiangsu Provincial Universities, 1 Second Prize and 1 Third Prize of Xuzhou Science and Technology Progress Award, and 1 Third Prize of Huaihai Science and Technology Progress Award, with 6 authorized national invention patents.
5. Strength of the Disciplinary Research Platform
Neurobiology is a discipline supported by the Jiangsu Provincial Advantageous Discipline Program, and conducts research relying on Xuzhou Key Laboratory of Neurobiology. Founded in 1996, the laboratory has undertaken more than 20 provincial and NSFC projects in the past five years and is equipped with advanced experimental facilities. Covering an area of 1800 m², the laboratory has built integrated platforms for molecular biology, cell biology and morphological research, providing solid support for scientific research. Furthermore, the discipline jointly trains master’s and doctoral students with the School of Medicine, Drexel University and University of Texas Medical Branch in the United States. Substantial research collaborations have also been established domestically with Navy General Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, Institute of Neuroscience at Zhejiang University and other institutions.
6. Situation of Discipline Talent Cultivation
As the first approved Neurobiology master’s degree program in Jiangsu Province, the discipline has cultivated more than 150 master’s students, 7 doctoral students and 5 postdoctoral fellows; it has obtained more than 20 provincial- and university-level graduate innovation program projects and 2 Jiangsu Provincial Excellent Master’s Theses, with over 30 SCI papers published during students’ enrollment. Close academic links have been built with prestigious domestic and foreign disciplines and laboratories. Currently there are 9 doctoral students and over 30 master’s students in training.
7. Disciplinary Social Services
Oriented toward social demands, the discipline adopts an integrated model combining teaching, scientific research and social services. It attaches great importance to teaching reform and research, and relies on outstanding scientific research and innovative academic ideas to drive the development of teaching. In addition, extensive cooperation has been carried out with outstanding universities and institutions worldwide to contribute to talent cultivation for the university and society.
8. Enrollment and Employment
The discipline recruits graduates with bachelor’s degrees in Biology, Medicine and other related majors. Postgraduates enjoy favorable employment prospects. They are employed by universities, hospitals, biotech enterprises and other institutions, while some pursue further doctoral studies at well-known universities at home and abroad. The scientific research capability and practical operational skills of our graduates are highly recognized by employers.
