Dr. Yanmin Yang
Dr. Yanmin Yang completed her medical training in China and received her Ph.D. in Germany. After her doctoral studies, she moved to the University of Chicago for postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Elaine Fuchs. There she became interested in understanding functional roles of cytoskeletal proteins in neurons and other cell types. In 2000 she joined Stanford University as an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences.
The research focus of her laboratory is on defining molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders including Down syndrome using mouse models. Initial studies from her lab suggest that axonal transport of both directions is essential for maintaining normal function and sustaining survival of neurons. Ongoing projects and future studies in her lab are directed to elucidate 1) What molecular mechanisms of axonal transport are; 2) How abnormal interactions between cytoskeletal proteins and their associates lead to degeneration and death of neurons; 3) What kind of role ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation plays in the pathogenesis of human neurodegenerative disorders.
