Jian Feng, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Physiology & Biophysics

State University of New York at Buffalo
jianfeng@buffalo.edu

Professor Feng has been working with mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells for over ten years to generate various genetic changes in mice to model human diseases. He has generated animal models of depression and epilepsy. The Feng lab is currently focused on Parkinson's disease by generating animal models of this disorder using mouse ES cells. The future aim of his lab is to generate patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells to study Parkinson's disease. These experiments Feng believes, will allow future study of the impact of genetic and environmental factors linked to Parkinson's disease on actual human neurons, which may have different properties than mouse neurons.

Select Publications

Y. Ren and J. Feng (2007) Rotenone Selectively Kills Serotonergic Neurons through a Microtubule-dependent Mechanism. J. Neurochem. 103:303-311.

Q. Jiang, Z. Yan, and J. Feng (2006). Activation of Group III Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors Attenuates Rotenone Toxicity on Dopaminergic Neurons through a Microtubule-dependent Mechanism. J. Neurosci. 26:4318-4328.

J. Feng (2006). Microtubule: a Common Target for Parkin and Parkinson's Disease Toxins. Neuroscientist. 12:469-476.