Julia TCW, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics
Biography
Dr. Julia TCW received Ph.D. and A.M. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Harvard University with research studies in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) reprogramming in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology. She then perused her postdoctoral research in the Department of Neuroscience, Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease, Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York with a research focus of the development of iPSC models and study Alzheimer’s disease (AD) genetics. She achieved Druckenmiller Fellowship award from New York Stem Cell Foundation and K, U and R awards from NIH-NIA.
Our research laboratory is aiming at human induced pluripotent stem cell therapeutics. There are two main goals; 1) Deciphering functional mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) genetics using in vitro iPSCs and in vivo iPSC/mouse Chimera models and 2) Developing in vitro model systems of human brain for drug screen.
1. Much of our research focuses on the effects of AD genetic risks, especially Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4), the most significant risk factor for late-onset AD on human brain cell types. Our lab uses the forward genetic, unbiased multi-Omics computational (bioinformatics) approach to uncover pathways and network defects of AD genetic risks and demonstrate molecular mechanisms of the risk factors in CNS cell types derived from CRISPR/Cas9 genome-edited isogenic and population iPSCs. We develop novel computational pipelines to identify molecular and network drivers and integrate genetics and transcriptomics/proteomics for a functional genomic study. In vitro and in vivo work have been focused on efferocytosis, lipid metabolism, matrisome and inflammation in pure human microglia, astrocytes and organoids (multiple brain cell types as a whole) associated with AD genetic risks. Further, our lab is also collaborating with the industry to find a drug target for AD therapeutics.
2. We have developed multiple novel CNS cell type protocols including astrocytes, microglia, pericytes, neural progenitors and glutamatergic neurons and continuously put our effort to advance the 2D models to 3D human brain model to establish efficient platforms for drug screen.
Other Positions
- Director of the Laboratory of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapeutics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Education
- Harvard University, PhD
- Harvard University, AM
- Catholic University of Korea, BS
Publications
- Published on 2/4/2025
Wang S, Li B, Li J, Cai Z, Hugo C, Sun Y, Qian L, Tcw J, Chui HC, Dikeman D, Asante I, Louie SG, Bennett DA, Arvanitakis Z, Remaley AT, Kerman BE, Yassine HN. Cellular senescence induced by cholesterol accumulation is mediated by lysosomal ABCA1 in APOE4 and AD. Mol Neurodegener. 2025 Feb 04; 20(1):15. PMID: 39901180.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/29/2025
Cruz-Sese J, Mirón-Alcala M, Alfonso-Triguero M, Olalde J, Ruiz L, Galbis-Gramage N, Cortes L, Escobar L, Preman P, Snellinx A, Saito T, Saido TC, Saiz-Aúz L, Rábano-Gutiérrez A, Tcw J, Goate A, Strooper B, Alberdi E, Arranz AM. Divergent Effects of APOE3 and APOE4 Human Astrocytes on Key Alzheimer's Disease Hallmarks in Chimeric Mice. bioRxiv. 2025 Jan 29. PMID: 39975251.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/19/2024
Kloske CM, Belloy ME, Blue EE, Bowman GR, Carrillo MC, Chen X, Chiba-Falek O, Davis AA, Paolo GD, Garretti F, Gate D, Golden LR, Heinecke JW, Herz J, Huang Y, Iadecola C, Johnson LA, Kanekiyo T, Karch CM, Khvorova A, Koppes-den Hertog SJ, Lamb BT, Lawler PE, Guen YL, Litvinchuk A, Liu CC, Mahinrad S, Marcora E, Marino C, Michaelson DM, Miller JJ, Morganti JM, Narayan PS, Naslavsky MS, Oosthoek M, Ramachandran KV, Ramakrishnan A, Raulin AC, Robert A, Saleh RNM, Sexton C, Shah N, Shue F, Sible IJ, Soranno A, Strickland MR, Tcw J, Thierry M, Tsai LH, Tuckey RA, Ulrich JD, van der Kant R, Wang N, Wellington CL, Weninger SC, Yassine HN, Zhao N, Bu G, Goate AM, Holtzman DM. Advancements in APOE and dementia research: Highlights from the 2023 AAIC Advancements: APOE conference. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Sep; 20(9):6590-6605. PMID: 39031528.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/21/2024
Sahelijo N, Rajagopalan P, Qian L, Rahman R, Priyadarshi D, Goldstein D, Thomopoulos SI, Bennett DA, Farrer LA, Stein TD, Shen L, Huang H, Nho K, Andrew SJ, Davatzikos C, Thompson PM, Tcw J, Jun GR. Brain Cell-based Genetic Subtyping and Drug Repositioning for Alzheimer Disease. medRxiv. 2024 Jun 21. PMID: 38947056.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 5/14/2024
Wang S, Li B, Cai Z, Hugo C, Li J, Sun Y, Qian L, Remaley AT, Tcw J, Chui HC, Bennett DA, Arvanitakis Z, Kerman B, Yassine H. Cellular senescence induced by cholesterol accumulation is mediated by lysosomal ABCA1 in APOE4 and AD. Res Sq. 2024 May 14. PMID: 38798644.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/22/2024
Saha O, Melo de Farias AR, Pelletier A, Siedlecki-Wullich D, Landeira BS, Gadaut J, Carrier A, Vreulx AC, Guyot K, Shen Y, Bonnefond A, Amouyel P, Tcw J, Kilinc D, Queiroz CM, Delahaye F, Lambert JC, Costa MR. The Alzheimer's disease risk gene BIN1 regulates activity-dependent gene expression in human-induced glutamatergic neurons. Mol Psychiatry. 2024 Sep; 29(9):2634-2646. PMID: 38514804.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/5/2024
Vance JM, Farrer LA, Huang Y, Cruchaga C, Hyman BT, Pericak-Vance MA, Goate AM, Greicius MD, Griswold AJ, Haines JL, Tcw J, Schellenberg GD, Tsai LH, Herz J, Holtzman DM. Report of the APOE4 National Institute on Aging/Alzheimer Disease Sequencing Project Consortium Working Group: Reducing APOE4 in Carriers is a Therapeutic Goal for Alzheimer's Disease. Ann Neurol. 2024 Apr; 95(4):625-634. PMID: 38180638.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/28/2023
Kloske CM, Barnum CJ, Batista AF, Bradshaw EM, Brickman AM, Bu G, Dennison J, Gearon MD, Goate AM, Haass C, Heneka MT, Hu WT, Huggins LKL, Jones NS, Koldamova R, Lemere CA, Liddelow SA, Marcora E, Marsh SE, Nielsen HM, Petersen KK, Petersen M, Piña-Escudero SD, Qiu WQ, Quiroz YT, Reiman E, Sexton C, Tansey MG, Tcw J, Teunissen CE, Tijms BM, van der Kant R, Wallings R, Weninger SC, Wharton W, Wilcock DM, Wishard TJ, Worley SL, Zetterberg H, Carrillo MC. APOE and immunity: Research highlights. Alzheimers Dement. 2023 Mar 28. PMID: 36975090.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/28/2023
Kloske CM, Barnum CJ, Batista AF, Bradshaw EM, Brickman AM, Bu G, Dennison J, Gearon MD, Goate AM, Haass C, Heneka MT, Hu WT, Huggins LKL, Jones NS, Koldamova R, Lemere CA, Liddelow SA, Marcora E, Marsh SE, Nielsen HM, Petersen KK, Petersen M, Piña-Escudero SD, Qiu WQ, Quiroz YT, Reiman E, Sexton C, Tansey MG, Tcw J, Teunissen CE, Tijms BM, van der Kant R, Wallings R, Weninger SC, Wharton W, Wilcock DM, Wishard TJ, Worley SL, Zetterberg H, Carrillo MC. APOE and immunity: Research highlights. Alzheimers Dement. 2023 Jun; 19(6):2677-2696. PMID: 36975090.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/25/2023
Tcw J, Arranz AM. hiPSC-based models to decipher the contribution of human astrocytes to Alzheimer's disease and potential therapeutics. Mol Neurodegener. 2023 Mar 25; 18(1):19. PMID: 36966344.
Read at: PubMed
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