Journal of Dementia
Open Access

Biography

With his background in pharmaceutical sciences, his research interests at National Taiwan University were focused on pharmacology and neuroscience in the rodent animal model, specifically on the mechanism of :
(1) the response to the paraquat of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (Lee et al. Biochem Pharmacol., 76, 1155–1164, 2008. PMID: 18761327).
(2) the inhibition of a novel antiepileptic, Carisbamate, in the dentate gyrus (Lee et al. Neuropharmacology. 61, 1239–1247, 2011. PMID: 21824485). This experience rooted my focus in the research of central nervous system and provided me the opportunity to pursue doctoral studies in the Department of Pharmacology at Georgetown University. In Dr. Baoji Xu’s lab, my thesis research was focused on elucidating the function of the neurotrophic factor in the dopaminergic pathway, especially on the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic pathway by using the Cre-Lox recombinase system. I later relocated with him to join the Department of Neuroscience at The Scripps Research Institute in Florida. There, I acquired significant knowledge on immunostaining, light microscopy, and image analysis, which result in two collaborative publications (Xie, K. et al. Elife 4, 1–50, 2015. PMID: 26613416; Xie, K. et al. Curr. Biol. 26, 2992–3003, 2016. PMID: 27773571). I have also developed a practical strategy for studying the development of neuronal spines in in vitro cell cultures by integrating multiple computational tools (Orefice et al. Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 71, 66–79, 2016.PMID: 27773571). After finishing my Ph.D. training, I joined the Washington University Center for Cellular Imaging (WUCCI) in August 2016 as a Research Specialist focused on live-cell and super-resolution microscopy as well as image analysis and informatics. The major part of my role is to offer training and consultation to users on various types of light microscopy platforms including, but not limited to confocal, super-resolution, multi-photon and light-sheet imaging. I work to integrate both commercial and open-source computational tools for developing rational analytical informatics workflows. My master's degree training in pharmacology and electrophysiology and doctoral training in applying microscopic imaging and fluorescent labeling tools in animal and cell culture models provides me with both the theoretical and practical expertise to design custom imaging-based assays based on users needs. I also take care of the daily management of all optical imaging systems and computing infrastructure. In addition, I am interested in establishing analytical methods for quantitating multi-dimensional datasets, developing tools for immersive virtual reality environments, and implementing in-depth informatics methods for batched image analysis. My goal is to help the WUCCI expand its horizons in biomedical imaging analysis and ensure researchers in the Washington University received full support on all cutting-edge imaging and analysis equipment in our center.

Research Interest

Neuroscience, Neruoimaging, Pharmacology