THE LABORATORY
For all those who are fascinated by the magic of the infinitely small, hidden in the bosom of the living being are millions of palpitating cells whose only demand for the surrender of their secret, and with it the halo of fame, is a lucid and tenacious intelligence to contemplate them, to admire and to understand them. - - - Ramón Cajal, 1923.
Welcome!
The Zheng laboratory is a part of the Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine. We are located on the fifth floor of the Whitehead Biomedical Research Building. The laboratory, first established in the spring of 1996 in Robert Wood John Medical School/Rutgers University, has just moved to Emory Univerity. We are engaging in a wide spectrum of research topics in the field of developmental neurobiology and cell biology, pursuing answers to central questions of how the brain is
constructed and developed. Currently, we are focusing on several
exciting and challenging research areas concerning the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the precise wiring of neuronal
circuitry (
go to Research).
Our primary focus is on the signals inside the single cells that
transduce external stimuli to particular cellular responses in developing
neurons. Besides the approaches of molecular and cell biology,
our research utilizes a number of sophisticated cell biology techniques to
address a series of fundamental questions concerning the development of the
neurons. These techniques include, but not limited to, high-resolution
light and electron microscopy, digital imaging and processing,
laser-assisted cell micromanipulation, and microscopic photo-bleaching and
photo-activation. Using a combination of these advanced approaches,
for example, we are directly dissecting the signaling steps in the guidance
of developing axons to the correct targets for precise connections at
cellular and subcellular levels. Students and postdoctoral fellows
in the lab receive not only basic training in developmental neurobiology
but also multidisciplinary skills in a variety of fields, including
primary neuronal culture, electrophysiological recording, high-resolution
light & electron microscopy, digital imaging & processing,
intracellular manipulation, and much more. This is a very exciting
time for neuroscience as we start to get handles on many neurological
disorders and diseases that have victimized human being for centuries.
It is also an exciting time for the laboratory. We are currently
expanding and research positions are available! (
view the
announcement). Interested persons should contact us
directly.
ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR ...
Name: James Q. Zheng
Title: Professor
Education: BS in
Physics (1984) and Ph.D. in Biophysics (1989), Tsinghua University;
Postdoctoral training in Developmental Neurobiology, Columbia University.
Faculty Appointments:
1996: Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ. 2002: Associate Professor, Dept. of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ. 2007: Professor, Dept. of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ. 2008: Professor, Dept. of Cell Biology, Emory University, School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
A faculty member of the Joint Graduate programs (UMDNJ/Rutgers): Molecular Bioscience and Physiology & Neurobiology.
A regular member of American Society of Cell Biology and Society of Neuroscience.
Honors and Awards:
Guest Professor, Institute of Neuroscience, School of Life Science,
Tsinghua University, Beijing, China;
Session Chair of “Axon guidance mechanisms and pathways II”,
29th Annual Meeting (1999), Society for Neuroscience, Miami, FL;
Nikon fellow (1998), Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA;
Stephen W. Kuffler fellow (1995), Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods
Hole, MA.
ABOUT OUR SCHOOL ...
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