Cure Alzheimer's Fund Cure Alzheimer's Fund

Guojun Bu, Ph.D.

Lo Ka Chung Charitable Foundation Professor of Science, Division of Life Science, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Dr. Guojun Bu is a world-renowned neuroscientist and former Chair, Department of Neuroscience at Mayo Clinic. His other career appointments include Professor in Cell Biology and Neuroscience at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Chief Scientific Officer at SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Bu received his B.S. degree in biology from Beijing Normal University and his Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from Virginia Tech. He is a leader in the field of APOE and APOE receptors, which play critical roles in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). His primary interest is to understand why APOE4 is a strong risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and how this pathway can be targeted for therapy. His interests also extend to addressing the protective mechanisms of APOE2 and APOE rare variants. Among the pathogenic pathways contributing to aging and Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Bu’s work addresses the roles of brain lipid metabolism, neuronal signaling, neuroimmunity focusing on TREM2 and APOE, mechanisms of proteinopathy, and cerebrovascular integrity and function. He has published over 350 articles and was named as a “Highly Cited Researcher” according to Web of Science. Dr. Bu has received numerous honors and awards including the Zenith Fellows Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, the Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association, a MERIT award from the NIH, the Investigator of the Year award from the Mayo Clinic, and the MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer’s disease. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Neurodegeneration, an Associate Editor for Science Advances, and is on the editorial board for Neuron.

Related Research:

Funded Research

These projects were made possible from Cure Alzheimer's Fund support.

Project Description Researchers Funding
APOE Consortium: APOE Genotype-Specific Effects of Human Young Plasma on Cerebrovasculature and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology 2022

$287,500
ABCA7 Loss of Function in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease 2020, 2021

$345,000
Effects of Peripheral APOE on Central Nervous System Functions and AD Pathogenesis 2017 and 2018

$500,000
ABCA7 in Brain Homeostasis and Alzheimer’s Disease 2015, 2017

$400,000
Vascular Regenerative Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease 2013

$100,000

Selected Publications

These published papers resulted from Cure Alzheimer’s Fund support.

Kai Zhuang, Changquan Huang, Lige Leng, Honghua Zheng, Yuehong Gao, Guimiao Chen, Zhilin Ji, Hao Sun, Yu Hu, Di Wu, Meng Shi, Huifang Li, Yingjun Zhao, Yunwu Zhang, Maoqiang Xue, Guojun Bu, Timothy Y. Huang, Huaxi Xu, Jie Zhang Neuron-Specific Menin Deletion Leads to Synaptic Dysfunction and Cognitive Impairment by Modulating p35 Expression, Cell, volume 24, Issue 3, July 17, 2018, Read More

Na Zhao, Chia-Chen Liu, Alexandra J. Van Ingelgom, Yuka A. Martens, Cynthia Linares, Joshua A. Knight, Meghan M. Painter, Patrick M. Sullivan, Guojun Bu Apolipoprotein E4 Impairs Neuronal Insulin Signaling, Neuron, 96(1), 27 Sep 2017, 115-129, Read More

Jing Zhao, Mary D. Davis, Yuka A. Martens, Mitsuru Shinohara, Neill R. Graff-Radford, Steven G. Younkin, Zbigniew K. Wszolek, Takahisa Kanekiyo, Guojun Bu APOE ε4/ε4 diminishes neurotrophic function of human iPSC-derived astrocytes, Human Molecular Genetics, 26(14), 15 Jul 2017, 2690-2700, Read More

Mitsuru Shinohara, Masaya Tachibana, Takahisa Kanekiyo, Guojun Bu Role of LRP1 in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease: evidence from clinical and preclinical studies, Journal Of Lipid Research, 58(7), Jul 2017, 1267-1281, Read More

Li Zhong, Zhen-Lian Zhang, Xinxiu Li, Chunyan Liao, Pengfei Mou, Tingting Wang, Zongqi Wang, Zhe Wang, Min Wei, Huaxi Xu, Guojun Bu, Xiao-Fen Chen TREM2/DAP12 Complex Regulates Inflammatory Responses in Microglia via the JNK Signaling Pathway, Frontiers In Aging Neuroscience, 9, 21 Jun 2017, 204, Read More

Justin T. Rogers, Chia-Chen Liu, Na Zhao, Jian Wang, Travis Putzke, Longyu Yang, Mitsuru Shinohara, John D. Fryer, Takahisa Kanekiyo, Guojun Bu Subacute ibuprofen treatment rescues the synaptic and cognitive deficits in advanced-aged mice, Neurobiology of Aging, 53, May 2017, 112-121, Read More

Nobutaka Sakae, Chia-Chen Liu, Mitsuru Shinohara, Jessica Frisch-Daiello, Li Ma, Yu Yamazaki, Masaya Tachibana, Linda Younkin, Aishe Kurti, Minerva M. Carrasquillo, Fanggeng Zou, Daniel Sevlever, Gina Bisceglio, Ming Gan, Romain Fol, Patrick Knight, Miao Wang, Xianlin Han, John D. Fryer, Michael L. Fitzgerald, Yasumasa Ohyagi, Steven G. Younkin, Guojun Bu, and Takahisa Kanekiyo ABCA7 Deficiency Accelerates Amyloid- Generation and Alzheimer’s Neuronal Pathology, Neurobiology of Disease, 36(13), 30 Mar 2016, 3848–3859, Read More

Mitsuru Shinohara, Takahisa Kanekiyo, Longyu Yang, Duane Linthicum, Motoko Shinohara, Yuan Fu, Laura Price, Jessica L. Frisch-Daiello, Xianlin Han, John D. Fryer, Guojun Bu APOE2 eases cognitive decline during Aging: Clinical and preclinical evaluations, Annals of Neurology, 79(5), 2 Mar 2016, 758-774, Read More

Atagi Y, Liu CC, Painter MM, Chen XF, Verbeeck C, Zheng H, Li X, Rademakers R, Kang SS, Xu H, Younkin S, Das P, Fryer JD, Bu G Apolipoprotein E Is a Ligand for Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2), The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290(43), Oct 2015, 26043-50, Read More

Casey CS, Atagi Y, Yamazaki Y, Shinohara M, Tachibana M, Fu Y, Bu G, Kanekiyo T, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290(22), May 2015, 14208-14217, Read More

Chia-Chen Liu, Jin Hu, Chih-Wei Tsai, Mei Yue, Heather L. Melrose, Takahisa Kanekiyo, and Guojun Bu Neuronal LRP1 Regulates Glucose Metabolism and Insulin Signaling in the Brain, The Journal of Neuroscience, 35(14), April 2015, 5851-5859, Read More

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