Yuan Pan

The Pan lab studies the neuron-cancer/cancer therapy (Cancer Neuroscience) and neuron-glial interactions, focusing on neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). NF1 is a multi-system genetic disorder caused by inactivating mutations in the NF1 gene, and individuals with NF1 suffer from neurological manifestations (e.g., motor deficits, learning impairment, and nervous system tumors). NF1 affects all cell types in the nervous system, including neurons and glial cells that are both indispensable for normal neuronal function. It is thus crucial to understand how NF1 mutations affect each cell type and their interactions. We use state-of-art neuromodulatory techniques, preclinical mouse models, primary cell culture, and molecular biology approaches to achieve these goals. Students will gain an understanding of neuronal regulation of nervous system cancer and glia-mediated neurological deficits. They will learn skillsets in neuroscience, cancer biology, cell biology, and molecular biology.