Biographical Sketch
Dr. Sun is a quality-driven researcher with extensive experience in cellular and molecular neuroscience. His research spans a wide range of areas, including cell culture, molecular biology, molecular cloning, immunochemistry, genetics, in vivo studies with transgenic mice, and neurological behavior analysis. Dr. Sun works on mouse models of central nervous system disorders such as ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Dr. Sun earned his PhD in neuroscience from a research group focused on Alzheimer’s disease in Spain, where he concentrated on the relationship between ischemic stroke and Alzheimer’s disease at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. In the U.S., his research primarily explores the role of non-coding RNAs and transcription factors in regulating brain vascular endothelial pathophysiology, the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and long-term brain recovery following ischemic stroke, AD, vascular dementia, and TBI. His long-term goals include identifying novel biomarkers, uncovering molecular mechanisms, and developing innovative therapeutic strategies for these CNS disorders. Additionally, Dr. Sun has a strong interest in cancer immunology, particularly in antibody discovery and engineering, bispecific and trispecific antibody or T-cell engager, as well as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T engineering.
Education & Training
- BS, Biotechnology, Shandong Normal University, China
- MS, Chinese Traditional Medicine, Beijing Normal University, China
- Ph.D, Neuroscience, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain
Specialized Areas of Clinical, Research and/or Education Interests
- The functional role of non-coding RNAs and transcriptional factors in the regulation of brain vascular endothelial pathophysiology, blood-brain barrier (BBB), long-term brain recovery after AD, ischemic stroke, vascular dementia, and traumatic brain injury.
- Antibody discovery, antibody engineering, bio-specific or tri-specific antibody or T cell engager construction and validation, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T engineering and cell immunotherapy.
Professional Organization Membership
- American Heart Association (AHA)/ American Stroke Association (ASA)
Honors & Awards
- The Full Scholarship for Ph.D. degree, 2011/09 – 2015/07
- 2020 AHA Postdoctoral fellowship, 2020/01 – 2021/12, American Heart Association
Selected Recent Publications
- Ping Sun, Kai Zhang, Sulaiman H. Hassan, Xuejing Zhang, Xuelian Tang, Hongjian Pu, R. Anne Stetler, Jun Chen, Ke-Jie Yin. Endothelium-targeted deletion of microRNA-15a/16-1 promotes post-Stroke angiogenesis and improves long-term neurological recovery. Circulation Research, 2020; 126: 1040-1057
- Ping Sun, Feifei Ma, Yang Xu, Chao Zhou, R. Anne Stetler, Ke-Jie Yin. Genetic deletion of endothelial microRNA-15a/16-1 promotes cerebral angiogenesis and neurological recovery in ischemic stroke through Src signaling pathway. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 2021 Apr 28
- Chao Zhou, Ping Sun, Yang Xu, Yuang Chen, Yixian Huang, Milton H. Hamblin, Lesley Foley, T. Kevin Hitchens, Song Li, Ke-Jie Yin. Genetic deficiency of microRNA-15a/16-1 confers resistance to neuropathological damages and cognitive dysfunction in experimental vascular cognitive impairment and dementia. Advanced Science. 2022, 9, 2104986
- Feifei Ma, Ping Sun, Xuejing Zhang, Milton H. Hamblin, Ke-Jie Yin. Endothelium-targeted deletion of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster ameliorates blood-brain barrier dysfunction in ischemic stroke. Science Signaling. 2020 Apr 7;13 (626): eaay5686
- Ping Sun, Milton H. Hamblin, Ke-Jie Yin. Non-coding RNAs in the regulation of blood-brain barrier functions in central nervous system disorders. Fluids and Barriers of the CNS. 19, 27 (2022)
- Ping Sun, Da Zhi Liu, Glen C Jickling, Frank R Sharp, Ke-Jie Yin. MicroRNA-based therapeutics in central nervous system injuries. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism. 2018, 38(7):1125-1148
- Ping Sun, Gerard Esteban, Jose Marco-Contelles, Mercedes Unzeta, Montse Solé: Protective effect of a novel multitarget compound DPH-4 on human SSAO/VAP-1-expressing hCMEC/D3 cells under OGD conditions as an experimental model of cerebral ischemia. British Journal of Pharmacology, 2015, 172 (22): 5390-402
