Ming Xu
[email protected]

Ming Xu

Associate Professor
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics
Lab Website
Research Publications

Cellular senescence is one of the major players contributing to the fundamental aging process. My lab is leveraging novel mouse models and primary human cells as tools to examine the role and underlying mechanism of senescent cells in various conditions in mammals, and we aim to find new drugs to target senescent cells in order to alleviate a range of diseases as a group.

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Mission statement

My goal is to make people live longer and healthier.

Cellular senescence is one of the major players contributing to the fundamental aging process. The Xu lab is leveraging novel mouse models and primary human tissues as tools to examine the role and underlying mechanisms of senescent cells in various conditions with aging or obesity. We aim to find new drugs to target senescent cells in order to alleviate a range of diseases as a group.

Research statement

We have 3 major research directions:

  1. To investigate the role of senescent cells in diseases. We are especially interested in diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, frailty, bone-related diseases, bladder dysfunction, and flu infection. We will be using novel transgenic mice and transplantation models for this.
  2. To reveal the heterogeneity and transcriptomic signatures of senescent cells in vivo. We will be using single cell transcriptome technology to look at the senescent cells at different tissues under different biological conditions (aging, obesity or injury).
  3. To screen for novel compounds to kill senescent cells. We are in the process of screening several libraries of compounds on human senescent cells, and expect to find a number of novel candidates. We will then further test these compounds in aged mice and human tissues.

Education and background

Education

B.S., Fudan University, Biological Science

Ph.D., University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC), Rehabilitation Science
 

Post-Graduate Training

Fellowship Mayo Clinic Research Fellow, Kogod Center on Aging
 

Awards

The 2023 Nathan Shock New Investigator Award, The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) GSA

Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grant for Junior Faculty awards, AFAR

Postdoctoral Transition Awards in Aging, The Irene Diamond Fund/AFAR

Career Development Award, Regenerative Medicine Initiative for Diabetes

Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Translational Research on Aging, Glenn/AFAR

Travel award; 2013 Alliance for Healthy Aging Symposium held in the University Medical Center; Groningen, Netherlands; Alliance for Healthy Aging Symposium

Student Union Corporation Travel Scholarship, KUMC

Dean’s Diversity Scholarship, School of Allied Health KUMC

School of Allied Health Scholarship Award, KUMC

First Place Award for Molecular and Cell Biology Session III Student Research Forum, KUMC