Keying Zhu
Postdoctoral Researcher
E-mail: keying.zhu@ki.se
Visiting address: L8:05, CMM Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset Solna, 17176 Stockholm
Postal address: K8 Klinisk neurovetenskap, K8 Neuro Jagodic, 171 76 Stockholm
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
- Journal article: NATURE. 2026;:1-10Morcom L; Xia W; Xu Z; Awasthi Y; Geywitz C; Ellis MO; Noli T; Zulji A; Yamamoto D; Girdler GC; Kai L; Zhu K; Wei M; Tang X-Y; Hoi KK; Gonzalez-Maya J; Duncan GJ; Vaquie AM; Gold Diaz D; Kawaguchi R; Liu E; Sun Y; Yang D; Jordan GD; Lu I-L; Holmqvist S; Bartels T; Ridley K; Choi JJ-Y; Franco SJ; Huang EJ; Emery B; Geschwind D; Schirmer L; Balmus G; Popko B; Fancy SPJ; Rowitch DH
- Journal article: NATURE. 2026;:1-12Xia W; Morcom L; Xu Z; Lu I-L; Wang Q; Hoi KK; Wei M; Zhu K; Jordan G; Tang X-Y; Gonzalez-Maya J; Mattera VS; Panigrahi SM; Kawaguchi R; Emery B; Franco SJ; Geschwind DH; Popko B; Rowitch DH; Fancy SPJ
- Journal article: NATURE NEUROSCIENCE. 2026;29(3):617-631Zhu K; Liu Y; Min J-H; Joshua V; Lin J; Li Y; Kreutzmann JC; Guo Y; Xia W; Mohammadi E; Pieber M; Suerth V; Xia Y; Andrusivova Z; Hugnot J-P; Kanatani S; Uhlen P; Lundeberg J; Li X; Fancy SPJ; Sarlus H; Harris RA; Lund H
- Journal article: JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION. 2026;23(1):36Benito-Cuesta I; Min J-H; Guo Y; Virgilio GA; Suerth V; Bencina S; Trigo-Alonso P; Zhu K; Kung S-Y; Pahlevan Kakhki M; Sarlus H; Harris RA
- Journal article: CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION. 2025;32(12):2368-2383Wang D; Zhang T; Shao Q; Wu X; Zhao X; Zhang H; Wang Y; Sun J; Chang X; Zhu K; Wu S; Cao L; Chen W; Wang J
- Article: NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY. 2024;19(9):1366-1374Wang 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. 2024;221(2):e20230675Lund 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;127:111408Wang 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
- Journal article: TRANSPLANTATION. 2023;107(10):49Sarlus H; Zhu K; Guo Y; Balasingh VJ; Min J-H; Cuesta IB; Bencina S; Harris R; Gramignoli R
- Article: JCI INSIGHT. 2023;8(17):e167656Zhang 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):766-779Sun 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):83Wang Y; Sun J; Zhu K; Wang D; Zhao X; Zhang H; Wu S; Wang Y; Wang J
- Article: EMBO REPORTS. 2022;23(7):e54499Zhu 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):20Zhou 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):793-805Ineichen BV; Zhu K; Carlstrom KE
- Article: CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS. 2021;254:117291Rangasami 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):E8603-8603Han 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):E6824-6824Han J; Zhu K; Zhou K; Hakim R; Sankavaram SR; Blomgren K; Lund H; Zhang X-M; Harris RA
- Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2020;11(1):4071Carlstrom KE; Zhu K; Ewing E; Krabbendam IE; Harris RA; Falcao AM; Jagodic M; Castelo-Branco G; Piehl F
- Article: EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. 2020;2020:3205176Zou Z; Sun J; Kang Z; Wang Y; Zhao H; Zhu K; Wang J
- Article: GLIA. 2020;68(7):1466-1478Zhu K; Pieber M; Han J; Blomgren K; Zhang X-M; Harris RA; Lund H
- Article: SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND TARGETED THERAPY. 2019;4:27Chen Y; Sun J-X; Chen W-K; Wu G-C; Wang Y-P; Zhu K-Y; Wang J
- Article: BRAIN RESEARCH. 2019;1710:33-42Zhu K; Sun J; Kang Z; Zou Z; Wu X; Wang Y; Wu G; Harris RA; Wang J
- Article: NATURE IMMUNOLOGY. 2018;19(5):1-7Lund 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 & PHARMACEUTICAL BULLETIN. 2017;40(8):1306-1313Lou W; Chen Y; Zhu K-Y; Deng H; Wu T; Wang J
- Journal article: FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE. 2017;10:613Zhu K; Sun J; Kang Z; Zou Z; Wu G; Wang J
- Show more
All other publications
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2025Sarlus H; Guo Y; Bencina S; Zhu K; Balasingh VJ; Virgilio GA; Cheng Y; Lin J; Min J-H; Benito-Cuesta I; Suerth V; Alonso PT; Thomas O; Rykaczewska U; Guerreiro Cacais AO; Jagodic M; Gramignoli R; Harris R
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2023Zhu K; Min J-H; Joshua V; Liu Y; Pieber M; Suerth V; Sarlus H; Harris R; Lund H
- Doctoral thesis: 2023Zhu K
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2023Lund 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. 2021Zhu K; Wang Y; Sarlus H; Geng K; Nutma E; Sun J; Kung S-Y; Bay C; Han J; Lund H; Amor S; Wang J; Zhang X; Kutter C; Guerreiro Cacais AO; Högberg B; Harris R
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2020Carlström K; Zhu K; Ewing E; Krabbendam I; Harris R; Falcão AM; Jagodic M; Castelo-Branco G; Piehl F
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2019Ineichen B; Zhu K; Carlström K
- Review: GLIA. 2019;67(2):217-231Han J; Zhu K; Zhang X-M; Harris RA
Grants
- The Swedish Society for Medical Research1 October 2026 - 31 December 2029
- MS-Forskningsfonden1 January 2026 - 31 December 2027
- Neurofonden1 January 2026 - 31 December 2027
- Swedish Research Council1 April 2024 - 31 December 2026
- Neurofonden1 January 2024 - 31 December 2025
- Swedish Research Council1 December 2021 - 30 November 2026
- StratNeuro1 June 2021 - 31 May 2023
- Neurofonden1 January 2021 - 31 December 2022
Employments
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2026
Degrees and Education
- Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 2023
- Master Degree in Neurobiology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, 2017
- MD/MBBS, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 2014
Supervision
Supervision to doctoral degree
- Jianing Lin
- Yiming Xia
Visiting research fellowships
- Postdoctoral Scholar (VR placement), University of California, San Francisco, 2024-2026
- Visiting Scholar, University of California, San Francisco, 2022-2022
- Exchange Student, Dong-Eui University, 2010-2010
Editorial work
- CELLS, Guest editor, 2025
- JOURNAL OF LEUKOCYTE BIOLOGY, Guest editor, 2025-2026
- FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY, Guest editor, 2025