Wendy Yue, PhD
Research Description
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) shields the brain from harmful substances. Yet, this barrier also restricts the flow of chemical signals vital for long-range communication between the brain and the body, which are essential for orchestrating diverse physiological processes at distant sites. Specialized interfaces near the brain's ventricles facilitate necessary communication between neural tissues and its surrounding fluid environment—blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Thus, these interfaces provide a window for the brain to sense humoral factors and secrete hormones into the bloodstream. Our lab focuses on these unique structures, studying how they detect, transmit, and modulate these vital signals. We aim to determine how these pathways contribute to neurological disorders and explore their potential to enhance drug delivery and therapeutic strategies.
Current Projects
- Tool development: Developing genetic and viral tools to manipulate specific cell types at neural tissue-fluid interfaces, such as the circumventricular organs and spinal cord central canal.
- Signaling pathways: Dissecting cellular and molecular signaling pathways at these interfaces using transcriptomics, electrophysiology, imaging, and pharmacology.
- In vivo studies: Exploring how these pathways contribute to physiological, pathological, and injury responses through in vivo studies of physiology and behavior.
Lab Members
Please check our lab website for the latest roster.
Websites
UCSF Profile: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/wendy.yue