Speaker:

Haoxing Xu, Ph.D.
Chair Professors & Dean, New Cornerstone Investigator
Liangzhu Laboratory  &  School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang University
Professor (Adjunct), MCD Biology Department, the University of Michigan

Dr. Xu has developed a unique research program for understanding the cell biology of lysosomes, and its relationship to lysosomal storage disorders and common neurodegenerative diseases such as AD and PD. This program combines electrophysiological and imaging approaches typically used to study plasma membrane ion channels with molecular and biochemical approaches typically used to understand organelle function. The combined approach has allowed his lab to find eight lysosomal ion channels (Ca2+, Na+, K+, Fe2+/Zn2+, Cl-, and H+) and identify the activating cellular cue for each of them. With his unique and combined expertise in both organellar electrophysiology and chemical cell biology, Dr. Xu’s work may not only reveal at the molecular level how information exchange occurs rapidly between the lysosomal lumen and cytosol, but also lead to new therapeutic approaches to treating lysosomal diseases.