Title(s)
- UPMC Endowed Chair Professor of Brain Disorders Research
- Vice-Chair of Basic Science Research
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Sun’s research interests focus on studying the roles of ion transporter proteins, such as Na-K-Cl cotransporters, Na/Ca exchangers, and Na/H exchangers, in ionic dysregulation and neurodegeneration in experimental models of ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, and glioblastoma. The ion transporter proteins are pathologically stimulated under these disease conditions. The dysregulated ion transport function further interrupts the cellular and metabolic equilibrium. Dr. Sun’s lab is investigating the underlying mechanisms and modulating ion transport protein function as novel therapeutic strategy for these brain disorders.
Education & Training
- Post-Doctorate Fellow, Northwestern University, Pharmacology
- Post-Doctorate Fellow, University of California, Human Physiology
- PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Physiology
- MS, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Physiology
- MS, Harbin Medical University, P.R. China, Pathophysiology
- MD, Harbin Medical University, P.R. China
Specialized Areas of Clinical, Research and/or Educational Interests
- Research: Ischemic Stroke; Traumatic Brain Injury; Vascular Dementia
- Education: Research Training and Mentoring; Junior Faculty Career Development
Professional Organization Membership
- Elected Fellow, American Heart Association
- American Physiological Society
- Society for Neuroscience
- Society for the Cerebral Blood Flow, Metabolism & Function
Honors & Awards
- Scientist Development Grant Award, American Heart Association National Center
- Faculty Development Grant Award, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Resources Program for Medical Schools, University of Wisconsin Medical School
- CAREER Award, National Science Foundation
- Established Investigator Award, American Heart Association National Center
- Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Award, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Selected Recent Publications
Attenuating vascular stenosis-induced astrogliosis preserves white matter integrity and cognitive function.
Liu Q, Bhuiyan MIH, Liu R, Song S, Begum G, Young CB, Foley LM, Chen F, Hitchens TK, Cao G, Chattopadhyay A, He L, Sun D. J Neuroinflammation. 2021 Aug 28;18(1):187. doi: 10.1186/s12974-021-02234-8. PMID: 34454529 Free PMC article.
WNK kinases sense molecular crowding and rescue cell volume via phase separation.
Boyd-Shiwarski CR, Shiwarski DJ, Griffiths SE, Beacham RT, Norrell L, Morrison DE, Wang J, Mann J, Tennant W, Anderson EN, Franks J, Calderon M, Connolly KA, Cheema MU, Weaver CJ, Nkashama LJ, Weckerly CC, Querry KE, Pandey UB, Donnelly CJ, Sun D, Rodan AR, Subramanya AR. Cell. 2022 Nov 23;185(24):4488-4506.e20. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.09.042. Epub 2022 Oct 31. PMID: 36318922 Free PMC article.
New insights into metabolism dysregulation after TBI.
Oft HC, Simon DW, Sun D. J Neuroinflammation. 2024 Jul 29;21(1):184. doi: 10.1186/s12974-024-03177-6. PMID: 39075578 Free PMC article. Review.
A neurodevelopmental epigenetic programme mediated by SMARCD3-DAB1-Reelin signalling is hijacked to promote medulloblastoma metastasis.
Zou H, Poore B, Brown EE, Qian J, Xie B, Asimakidou E, Razskazovskiy V, Ayrapetian D, Sharma V, Xia S, Liu F, Chen A, Guan Y, Li Z, Wanggou S, Saulnier O, Ly M, Fellows-Mayle W, Xi G, Tomita T, Resnick AC, Mack SC, Raabe EH, Eberhart CG, Sun D, Stronach BE, Agnihotri S, Kohanbash G, Lu S, Herrup K, Rich JN, Gittes GK, Broniscer A, Hu Z, Li X, Pollack IF, Friedlander RM, Hainer SJ, Taylor MD, Hu B. Nat Cell Biol. 2023 Mar;25(3):493-507. doi: 10.1038/s41556-023-01093-0. Epub 2023 Feb 27. PMID: 36849558 Free PMC article.
Carotid artery vascular stenosis causes the blood-CSF barrier damage and neuroinflammation.
Lin L, Chen Y, He K, Metwally S, Jha R, Capuk O, Bhuiyan MIH, Singh G, Cao G, Yin Y, Sun D. J Neuroinflammation. 2024 Sep 10;21(1):220. doi: 10.1186/s12974-024-03209-1. PMID: 39256783 Free PMC article.
