Cure Alzheimer's Fund Cure Alzheimer's Fund

Weiming Xia, Ph.D.

Professor, Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine

Dr. Weiming Xia received his bachelor of science degree from Fudan University, China and Ph.D. degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Texas, USA. He pursued postdoctoral training in Dr. Dennis Selkoe’s laboratory in 1995 and joined the faculty at the Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in 1999. During 2009-2012, Dr. Xia devoted his effort to developing Alzheimer therapeutics in a start-up company before he returned to academia at Veteran Affairs Hospital and Boston University School of Medicine. Currently he is the acting Associate Director of Research at the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Bedford VA Hospital. Dr. Xia has over 20 years of experience in target identification, characterization, validation and early stage drug development, with exploration of clinical biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease. His lab has established a number of in vitro, cellular, and zebrafish-based high-content, whole-animal assays to characterize drug targets. Dr. Xia has published over 100 original research articles, reviews/book chapters and edited a book. His research, currently supported by NIH, the Department of Veteran Affairs, and Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, focuses on the molecular mechanisms responsible for pathological changes in AD, on biomarkers reflecting disease progression, and on exploration and discovery of therapeutic interventions.

Related Research:

Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery and Development Consortium: Blocking Synaptotoxicity in Alzheimer’s Three-Dimensional Models Weiming Xia 2022-02-17 Proteomics of Alzheimer’s Disease Three-Dimensional Cultures Weiming Xia 2020-12-21 Alzheimer’s Disease Pharmacomics in 3-D Weiming Xia 2018-12-20 Alzheimer’s Disease Stem Cell Drug Screening in 3-D Weiming Xia 2018-08-09 3DDS: Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery in 3-D Weiming Xia 2015-10-22

Funded Research

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

Project Description Researchers Funding
Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery and Development Consortium: Blocking Synaptotoxicity in Alzheimer’s Three-Dimensional Models 2021, 2022

$370,000
Proteomics of Alzheimer’s Disease Three-Dimensional Cultures 2020

$172,500
Alzheimer’s Disease Pharmacomics in 3-D 2018 to 2019

$345,000
Alzheimer’s Disease Stem Cell Drug Screening in 3-D 2017

$100,000
3DDS: Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery in 3-D 2015, 2016

$300,000

Selected Publications

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

Hu, D., Chen, M., Li, X., Daley, S., Morin, P., Han, Y., Hemberg, M., Weiner, H. L., & Xia, W. ApoE ε4-dependent Alteration of CXCR3 + CD127+ CD4+ T cells associates with elevated plasma neurofilament light chain in Alzheimer’s disease, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, March 20, 2025, Read More

Zheng, C., Xia, W., & Zhang, J. Rock inhibitors in Alzheimer’s disease, Frontiers in Aging, March 20, 2025, Read More

Naderi Yeganeh, P., Kwak, S. S., Jorfi, M., Koler, K., Kalatturu, T., von Maydell, D., Liu, Z., Guo, K., Choi, Y., Park, J., Abarca, N., Bakiasi, G., Cetinbas, M., Sadreyev, R., Griciuc, A., Quinti, L., Choi, S. H., Xia, W., Tanzi, R. E., Hide, W., Kim, D. Y. Integrative pathway analysis across humans and 3D cellular models identifies the p38 MAPK-MK2 axis as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease, Neuron, November 27, 2024, Read More

Ouyang, X., Collu, R., Benavides, G., Tian, R., Darley-Usmar, V., Xia, W., & Zhang, J. ROCK Inhibitor Fasudil Attenuates Neuroinflammation and Associated Metabolic Dysregulation in the Tau Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease, Current Alzheimer Research, June 21, 2024, Read More

Zhou, J., Shi, Q., Ge, Y. Y., He, W., Hu, X., Xia, W., & Yan, R. Reticulon 1 and 3 are essential for axonal growth and synaptic maintenance associated with the intellectual development, Human Molecular Genetics, May 25, 2023, Read More

Muraoka, S., DeLeo, A. M., Sethi, M. K., Yukawa-Takamatsu, K., Yang, Z., Ko, J., Hogan, J. D., Ruan, Z., You, Y., Wang, Y., Medalla, M., Ikezu, S., Chen, M., Xia, W., Gorantla, S., Gendelman, H. E., Issadore, D., Zaia, J., & Ikezu, T. Proteomic and biological profiling of extracellular vesicles from Alzheimer’s disease human brain tissues, Alzheimer's & Dementia, April 17, 2020, Read More

Muraoka, S., Lin, W., Chen, M., Hersh, S. W., Emili, A., Xia, W., & Ikezu, T. Assessment of separation methods for extracellular vesicles from human and mouse brain tissues and human cerebrospinal fluids, Methods, February 5, 2020, Read More

Jun, G. R., You, Y., Zhu, C., Meng, G., Chung, J., Panitch, R., Hu, J., Xia, W., Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium, Bennett, D. A., Foroud, T. M., Wang, L. S., Haines, J. L., Mayeux, R., Pericak-Vance, M. A., Schellenberg, G. D., Au, R., Lunetta, K. L., Ikezu, T., Stein, T. D., … Farrer, L. A. Protein phosphatase 2A and complement component 4 are linked to the protective effect of APOE ɛ2 for Alzheimer’s disease., Alzheimer's & Dementia, February 9, 2022, Read More

Li, X., Wang, L., Cykowski, M., He, T., Liu, T., Chakranarayan, J., Rivera, A., Zhao, H., Powell, S., Xia, W., & Wong, S. T. C. OCIAD1 contributes to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease by inducing mitochondria dysfunction, neuronal vulnerability and synaptic damages, eBioMedicine, January 10, 2020, Read More

Huttunen, H. J., Havas, D., Peach, C., Barren, C., Duller, S., Xia, W., Frosch, M. P., Hutter-Paier, B., Windisch, M., & Kovacs, D. M. The Acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol Acyltransferase Inhibitor CI-1011 Reverses Diffuse Brain Amyloid pathology in aged amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice, Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology, August 1, 2010, Read More

Gaudiuso, R., Ewusi-Annan, E., Xia, W., & Melikechi, N. Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and machine learning, Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, July 15, 2020, Read More

Lee, H. K., Velazquez Sanchez, C., Chen, M., Morin, P. J., Wells, J. M., Hanlon, E. B., & Xia, W. Three dimensional human neuro-spherod model of Alzheimer’s disease based on differentiated induced pluripotent stem cells, PLoS One, September 29, 2016, Read More

Xia W. Gamma-Secretase and its modulators: Twenty years and beyond, Neuroscience Letters, February 11, 2019, Read More

Chen, M., Lee, H. K., Moo, L., Hanlon, E., Stein, T., & Xia, W. Common Proteomic profiles of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived three-dimensional neurons and brain tissue from Alzheimer’s patients, Journal of Proteomics, April 27, 2018, Read More

Konan, L. M., Song, H., Pentecost, G., Fogwe, D., Ndam, T., Cui, J., Johnson, C. E., Grant, D., White, T., Chen, M., Xia, W., Cernak, I., DePalma, R. G., & Gu, Z. Multi-Focal Neuronal Ultrastructural Abnormalities and Synaptic Alterations in Mice after Low-Intensity Blast Exposure, Journal of Neurotrauma, March 13, 2019, Read More

Chen, M., & Xia, W. Proteomic Profiling of Plasma and Brain Tissue from Alzheimer’s Disease Patients Reveals Candidate Network of Plasma Biomarkers, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, June 30, 2020, Read More

Chen, M., Song, H., Cui, J., Johnson, C. E., Hubler, G. K., DePalma, R. G., Gu, Z., & Xia, W. Proteomic Profiling of Mouse Brains Exposed to Blast-Induced Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Reveals Changes in Axonal Proteins and Phosphorylated Tau, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, October 30, 2018, Read More

Li, M., Reisman, J., Morris-Eppolito, B., Qian, S. X., Kazis, L. E., Wolozin, B., Goldstein, L. E., & Xia, W. Beneficial Association of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Statins on the Occurrence of Possible Alzheimer’s Disease After Traumatic Brain Injury, Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, March 27, 2020, Read More

Kwak, S. S., Washicosky, K. J., Brand, E., von Maydell, D., Aronson, J., Kim, S., Capen, D. E., Cetinbas, M., Sadreyev, R., Ning, S., Bylykbashi, E., Xia, W., Wagner, S. L., Choi, S. H., Tanzi, R. E., & Kim, D. Y. Amyloid-β42/40 ratio drives tau pathology in 3D human neural cell culture models of Alzheimer’s disease, Nature Communications, March 13, 2020, Read More

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