Keying Zhu

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About me

I completed my PhD training under the supervision of Prof. Robert Harris at the Karolinska Institutet in 2023. Currently, I am a Swedish Research Council International Postdoctoral Fellow (Vetenskapsrådet) working on an independent research project at the University of California San Francisco, affiliated with Prof. Maja Jagodic at the Karolinska Institutet.

Research

My postdoctoral research investigates the complex interplay between glial cells in the CNS under both physiological and pathological conditions, with a particular focus on the role of primary cilia in mediating cellular function and signal transduction in white matter injury and repair.

Teaching

Supervised four master students for their master's projects:

Timas Shin-Yu Kung (8 months, Karolinska Institutet)
Projects: 1. Microglial reprogramming for neuroinflammatory disorders
2. Topoisomerase 1
inhibition mitigates microglial activation and neuroinflammation.

Cindy Bay (2 months, Heidelberg University)
Project: Topoisomerase 1 inhibition attenuates neuroinflammation.

Zoë Keasberry (6 months, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Project: Improvement of microglial replacement therapy in severe neurological diseases:
understanding the depletion and repopulation pattern of microglia following CSF1R inhibition.

Yiming Xia (10 months, Karolinska Institutet)
Projection: Transcritptional coregulator in control of microglia function.

Articles

Article: NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY. 2024;19(9):1366-1374
A DNA robotic switch with regulated autonomous display of cytotoxic ligand nanopatterns
Wang Y; Baars I; Berzina I; Rocamonde-Lago I; Shen B; Yang Y; Lolaico M; Waldvogel J; Smyrlaki I; Zhu K; Harris RA; Hogberg B
Article: JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE (JEM). 2024;221(2):e20230675
CD163⁺ macrophages monitor enhanced permeability at the blood-dorsal root ganglion barrier
Lund H; Hunt MA; Kurtovic Z; Sandor K; Kagy PB; Fereydouni N; Julien A; Goritz C; Vazquez-Liebanas E; Andaloussi Mae M; Jurczak A; Han J; Zhu K; Harris RA; Lampa J; Graversen JH; Etzerodt A; Haglund L; Yaksh TL; Svensson CI
Article: INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY. 2024;127:111408
Sanguinarine modulates microglial function via PPARγ activation and protects against CNS demyelination
Wang D-J; Wang X; Li S-L; Zhang T-T; Yang Y-C; Wang Y-M; Zhao X-Q; Li K-Y; Li Y; Zhu K-Y; Wang J
Article: JCI INSIGHT. 2023;8(17):e167656
Antigen receptor stimulation induces purifying selection against pathogenic mitochondrial tRNA mutations
Zhang J; Koolmeister C; Han J; Filograna R; Hanke L; Adori M; Sheward DJ; Teifel S; Gopalakrishna S; Shao Q; Liu Y; Zhu K; Harris RA; Mcinerney G; Murrell B; Aoun M; Baeckdahl L; Holmdahl R; Pekalski M; Wedell A; Engvall M; Wredenberg A; Hedestam GBK; Dopico XC; Rorbach J
Article: ACTA PHARMACOLOGICA SINICA. 2023;44(4):766-779
Activation of TRPV1 receptor facilitates myelin repair following demyelination via the regulation of microglial function
Sun J-X; Zhu K-Y; Wang Y-M; Wang D-J; Zhang M-Z; Sarlus H; Benito-Cuesta I; Zhao X-Q; Zou Z-F; Zhong Q-Y; Feng Y; Wu S; Wang Y-Q; Harris RA; Wang J
Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION. 2023;20(1):83
Microglial aryl hydrocarbon receptor enhances phagocytic function via SYK and promotes remyelination in the cuprizone mouse model of demyelination
Wang Y; Sun J; Zhu K; Wang D; Zhao X; Zhang H; Wu S; Wang Y; Wang J
Article: EMBO REPORTS. 2022;23(7):e54499
Myeloid cell-specific topoisomerase 1 inhibition using DNA origami mitigates neuroinflammation
Zhu K; Wang Y; Sarlus H; Geng K; Nutma E; Sun J; Kung S-Y; Bay C; Han J; Min J-H; Benito-Cuesta I; Lund H; Amor S; Wang J; Zhang X-M; Kutter C; Guerreiro-Cacais AO; Hogberg B; Harris RA
Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION. 2022;19(1):20
An overlooked subset of Cx3cr1^wt/wt microglia in the Cx3cr1^{CreER-Eyfp/wt} mouse has a repopulation advantage over Cx3cr1^{CreER-Eyfp/wt} microglia following microglial depletion
Zhou K; Han J; Lund H; Boggavarapu NR; Lauschke VM; Goto S; Cheng H; Wang Y; Tachi A; Xie C; Zhu K; Sun Y; Osman AM; Liang D; Han W; Gemzell-Danielsson K; Betsholtz C; Zhang X-M; Zhu C; Enge M; Joseph B; Harris RA; Blomgren K
Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH. 2021;99(3):793-805
Axonal mitochondria adjust in size depending on g-ratio of surrounding myelin during homeostasis and advanced remyelination
Ineichen BV; Zhu K; Carlstrom KE
Article: CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS. 2021;254:117291
Harnessing hyaluronic acid-based nanoparticles for combination therapy: A novel approach for suppressing systemic inflammation and to promote antitumor macrophage polarization
Rangasami VK; Samanta S; Parihar VS; Asawa K; Zhu K; Varghese OP; Teramura Y; Nilsson B; Hilborn J; Harris RA; Oommen OP
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES. 2020;21(22):E8603-8603
Underestimated Peripheral Effects Following Pharmacological and Conditional Genetic Microglial Depletion
Han J; Fan Y; Zhou K; Zhu K; Blomgren K; Lund H; Zhang X-M; Harris RA
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES. 2020;21(18):E6824-6824
Sex-Specific Effects of Microglia-Like Cell Engraftment during Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Han J; Zhu K; Zhou K; Hakim R; Sankavaram SR; Blomgren K; Lund H; Zhang X-M; Harris RA
Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2020;11(1):4071
Gsta4 controls apoptosis of differentiating adult oligodendrocytes during homeostasis and remyelination via the mitochondria-associated Fas-Casp8-Bid-axis
Carlstrom KE; Zhu K; Ewing E; Krabbendam IE; Harris RA; Falcao AM; Jagodic M; Castelo-Branco G; Piehl F
Article: GLIA. 2020;68(7):1466-1478
Absence of microglia or presence of peripherally-derived macrophages does not affect tau pathology in young or old hTau mice
Zhu K; Pieber M; Han J; Blomgren K; Zhang X-M; Harris RA; Lund H
Article: EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. 2020;2020:3205176
Tyrosine Kinase Receptors Axl and MerTK Mediate the Beneficial Effect of Electroacupuncture in a Cuprizone-Induced Demyelinating Model
Zou Z; Sun J; Kang Z; Wang Y; Zhao H; Zhu K; Wang J
Article: BRAIN RESEARCH. 2019;1710:33-42
Repurposing of omeprazole for oligodendrocyte differentiation and remyelination
Zhu K; Sun J; Kang Z; Zou Z; Wu X; Wang Y; Wu G; Harris RA; Wang J
Article: SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND TARGETED THERAPY. 2019;4:27
miR-124/VAMP3 is a novel therapeutic target for mitigation of surgical trauma-induced microglial activation
Chen Y; Sun J-X; Chen W-K; Wu G-C; Wang Y-P; Zhu K-Y; Wang J
Article: NATURE IMMUNOLOGY. 2018;19(5):435-7
Fatal demyelinating disease is induced by monocyte-derived macrophages in the absence of TGF-β signaling
Lund H; Pieber M; Parsa R; Grommisch D; Ewing E; Kular L; Han J; Zhu K; Nijssen J; Hedlund E; Needhamsen M; Ruhrmann S; Guerreiro-Cacais AO; Berglund R; Forteza MJ; Ketelhuth DFJ; Butovsky O; Jagodic M; Zhang X-M; Harris RA
Journal article: BIOLOGICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL BULLETIN. 2017;40(8):1306-1313
Polyphyllin I Overcomes EMT-Associated Resistance to Erlotinib in Lung Cancer Cells via IL-6/STAT3 Pathway Inhibition
Lou W; Chen Y; Zhu K-Y; Deng H; Wu T; Wang J
Journal article: FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE. 2016;10:613
Electroacupuncture Promotes Remyelination after Cuprizone Treatment by Enhancing Myelin Debris Clearance
Zhu K; Sun J; Kang Z; Zou Z; Wu G; Wang J

All other publications

Preprint: BIORXIV. 2023
Disrupting microglial TGF-β signaling triggers region-specific pathology in the spinal cord
Zhu K; Min J-H; Joshua V; Liu Y; Pieber M; Suerth V; Sarlus H; Harris R; Lund H
Thesis / dissertation: 2023
Deciphering and fine-tuning of myeloid cells in CNS demyelinating conditions
Zhu, Keying
Preprint: BIORXIV. 2023
A network of CD163⁺macrophages monitors enhanced permeability at the blood-dorsal root ganglion barrier
Lund H; Hunt M; Kurtovic Z; Sandor K; Fereydouni N; Julien A; Göritz C; Han J; Zhu K; Harris R; Lampa J; Haglund L; Yaksh T; Svensson C
Preprint: BIORXIV. 2019
Axonal mitochondria across species adjust in diameter depending on thickness of surrounding myelin
Ineichen BV; Zhu K; Carlström KE
Review: GLIA. 2019;67(2):217-231
Enforced microglial depletion and repopulation as a promising strategy for the treatment of neurological disorders
Han J; Zhu K; Zhang X-M; Harris RA

Grants

Transcriptional Coregulators in Control of Microglial Function in CNS Demyelinating Diseases
NEURO Sweden
1 January 2024 - 31 December 2024
Oligodendroglial Primary Cilia in White Matter Injury Repair: Function, Signaling mechanism, and Proteome Repertoire
Swedish Research Council
1 January 2024 - 31 December 2027
Novel immunotherapies for neurodegenerative diseases
Swedish Research Council
1 December 2021 - 30 November 2026
Novel immunotherapy targeting myeloid cells for neurological diseases: Drug repurposing and nanoengineering
StratNeuro
1 June 2021 - 31 May 2023
Novel immunotherapy for neuroinflammation: drug repurposing and nanoengineering for myeloid cells
NEURO Sweden
1 January 2021 - 1 January 2022

Employments

Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2025

Degrees and Education

Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 2023

About me

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