Senior Scientist, Regenerative Medicine
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Associate Professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
University of Ottawa

The discovery of adult neural stem cells residing in the mammalian brain holds great promise for treating devastating neurodegenerative diseases such as Stroke, and Alzheimer's Disease. The main focus of the laboratory research is delineating molecular mechanisms that regulate neural stem cell reprogramming and differentiation, with the ultimate goal of defining ways to recruit the stem cells to thereby potentially promote neural repair. A variety of molecular, cellular, and behavioral techniques are used in the laboratory to elucidate novel molecular pathways that regulate neural stem cell behaviors, including transgenic mouse models, neurosphere culture, and in vivo viral-mediated gene delivery approach. 

Dr. Jing Wang received her Bachelor of Medicine in China and then came to Canada for her graduate studies. She obtained her M.Sc. in Physiology at McGill University and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa. Subsequently, she completed her post-doctoral training with Dr. Freda Miller at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and then joined OHRI as a scientist and assistant professor at the University of Ottawa. Her research program focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate neural stem cell reprogramming and differentiation in the context of neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease, Stroke and Multiple Sclerosis) with the goal of identifying potential regenerative therapeutic approaches to treat these devastating neurological diseases.

Syal, C*, Kosaraju, J*, Hamilton, L, Aumont, A, Chu, A, Sarma, SN, Thomas, J, Seegobin, M, Dilworth, FJ, He, L, Wondisford, FE, Zimmermann, R, Parent, M, Fernandes, K, Wang, J. (2020) Dysregulated expression of monoacylglycerol lipase is a marker for anti-diabetic drug metformin-targeted therapy to correct impaired neurogenesis and spatial memory in Alzheimer's disease, Theranostics, 10: 6337-6360. (* equal contribution) Impact Factor: 8.579
https://doi:10.7150/thno.44962.

Gouveia, A, Seegobin, M, Kannangara, TS, He, L, Wondisford, F, Comin, CH, Costa, LDF, Be´i¨que, JC, Lagace, DC, Lacoste, B, Wang, J. (2017) The aPKC-CBP Pathway Regulates Post-stroke Neurovascular Remodeling and Functional Recovery, Stem Cell Reports, 9:1735-1744. Impact Factor: 7.3
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2017.10.021.

Gouveia, A*, Hsu, K*,Niibori,Y, Seegobin, M, Cancino, GI, He, L, Wondisford, FE, Bennett, S, Lagace, D, Frankland, PW, Wang, J. (2016) The aPKC-CBP Pathway Regulates Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in an Age-Dependent Manner, Stem Cell Reports,  (* equal contribution) 7:719-734. Impact Factor: 7.3
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2016.08.007

Fatt, M*, Hsu, K*, He, L, Wondisford, F, Miller, FD, Kaplan, DR, Wang, J. (2015) Metformin acts on two different molecular pathways to enhance adult neural precursor proliferation/self-renewal and differentiation, Stem Cell Reports 5: 1-8  (* equal contribution) Impact Factor: 5
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2015.10.014

Wang J; Gallagher D; DeVito LM; Cancino GI; Tsui D; He L; Keller GM; Frankland
PW; Kaplan DR; Miller FD. (2012 Jul 6), Metformin activates an atypical PKC-CBP pathway to promote neurogenesis and enhance spatial memory formation, Cell Stem Cell11 (1):23-35. Impact Factor: 25

Alzheimer's; Multiple sclerosis; Stroke

Cell therapy; Disease models; Epigenetics; Imaging; Molecular and cellular biology; Regenerative medicine; Stem cells; Transgenic/knockout models