Jun-Feng Wang, PhD

Research summary

Dr. Jun-Feng Wang and his team at the Max Rady College of Medicine are at the forefront of research into the underlying causes of chronic stress, depression and Alzheimer's disease. Through their work, they aim to uncover the mechanisms of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, and how these processes affect brain synaptic functions.

One focus of their research is determining the role of oxidative protein modification in the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, a key player in the body's immune response to injury and infection. They also investigate whether the antioxidant system known as thioredoxin can inhibit the oxidative stress and neuroinflammation caused by chronic stress.

The lab employs a variety of cutting-edge techniques, such as cell culturing, real-time PCR, DNA cloning, and animal behavioral tests to study the impact of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation on the brain. They also use gene knockdown, a technique that allows them to "turn off" specific genes to study their function, in order to understand how these processes lead to depression and cognitive dysfunction in chronic stress.

Their research is supported by grants from top-tier organizations such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

This work has the potential to lead to new therapies for chronic stress, depression, and Alzheimer's disease and would help to improve the lives of many people suffering from these conditions. Dr. Wang and his team are dedicated to advancing the field of pharmacology and therapeutics, and their research is of great interest to other researchers in the field.

Research affiliations

Principal investigator, Neuroscience Research Program in Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine, Health Sciences Centre

Keywords

  • Keywords
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Chronic stress
  • Depression
  • Glucocorticoids
  • Neuroinflammation
  • NLRP3 inflammasome
  • Oxidative stress
  • Thioredoxin

Biography

Dr. Jun-Feng Wang is a pioneering researcher in the field of pharmacology and therapeutics at the Max Rady College of Medicine.

He received his bachelor of medicine from Anhui University of Chinese Medicine and his PhD in neuroscience from the prestigious Health Science Center at Peking University. He then went on to complete postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California, San Francisco and McMaster University.

Dr. Wang is a respected leader in his field and he has held academic appointments at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, the University of Toronto, and the University of British Columbia.

He is an active member of several professional organizations and his work is regularly featured in high-impact scientific journals.

He is dedicated to advancing the field of pharmacology and therapeutics, and is committed to improving the lives of those affected by chronic stress, depression, and Alzheimer's disease.

Education

Bachelor of Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine 

Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience, Health Science Center, Peking University

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, San Francisco 

Postdoctoral Fellow, McMaster University

Contact us

Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Max Rady College of Medicine
A205 Chown Bldg., 753 McDermot Avenue
University of Manitoba (Bannatyne campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0T6 Canada

pharmacology@umanitoba.ca
204-789-3553