Agnes Luo , PHD

Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Cincinnati.  Along with Molecular Genetics, Dr. Luo's research interests include Neuroscience, Stroke, Regenerative Medicine, Animal Models of Neurological diseases. Neuroprotection and regeneration. For additional information, please visit: theluolab.com

Bachelor of Science: Nanjing University Nanjiing, China, 1997 (Environmental Biology)

Ph D: University of Rochester Rochester, NY, 2005 (Molecular Toxicology)

Post Doctoral Fellow: National Institute of Drug Abuse, NIH Baltimore, MD, 2008

Research Fellow: National Institute of Drug Abuse, NIH Baltimore, MD, 2009

Molecular Genetics, Neuroinflammation, Neuroprotection and Regeneration, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Animal Models of Neurological Diseases.

2011 -2016 Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Case Western Reserve University ,

2017 -2018 Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University,

2018 -2023 Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati, COM,

2023 -To Present Professor, University of Cincinnati,

Grant: #R01NS125074 Investigators:Luo, Yu (PI) 05-15-2022 -04-30-2027 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The role of TGFb Signaling pathway in microglia and astrocytes homeostasis and cellular interactions Role:PI 553741.00/year Active

Grant: #R01AG083164 Investigators:Luo, Yu 08-01-2023 -04-30-2028 National Institute on Aging Investigating the role of CSF production and circulation in aging and Alzheimer's disease Role:PI 641393.00/year Active Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: #R21NS127177 Investigators:Luo, Yu 09-26-2022 -08-31-2024 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Ablating choroid plexus epithelial cells in the developing mouse brain: A new tool to approach CSF disorders Role:PI 456877.00 Active

Grant: #S10OD030402 Investigators:Closson, Chet; Fan, Guochang; Hong, Christian; Luo, Yu; Sadayappan, Sakthivel; Wang, Hongsheng; Weiss, Alison; Zhang, Yuhang 09-01-2021 -08-31-2022 Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscope Role:Collaborator 598148.00 Awarded Level:Federal

Grant: #F31NS125930 Investigators:Bedolla, Alicia; Luo, Yu 09-01-2022 -08-31-2024 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The Role of Activin-like kinase 5 (ALK5) for maintaining microglia and astrocyte homeostasis and activation Role:PI 38977.00 Awarded Level:Federal

Grant: #F31NS129204(Luo-Mentor) Investigators:Luo, Yu; Ware, Kierra 04-01-2023 -03-31-2026 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke A Dual Role of Activin-like kinase 5 (ALK5)-mediated TGF Beta Signaling in Adult Neurogenesis Role:Mentor Active Level:National

Grant: #R01NS107365 Investigators:Luo, Yu 04-15-2019 -02-28-2023 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Modulating a critical inhibitory proteoglycan receptor to promote functional recovery after stroke Role:PI $363,756.00/year Completed Type:Grant Level:National

Grant: #R01NS091213 Investigators:Luo, Agnes 08-01-2018 -07-31-2022 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Genetic and drug modulation of sonic hedgehog pathway in brain ischemia Role:PI 346,719/year Completed

Grant: #2018 Award Investigators:Luo, Agnes 11-01-2018 -10-31-2020 Local Initiative for Excellence (L.I.F.E.) Inhibition of Drpl using a selective Drp1 peptide inhibitor for treatment of alpha-synuclein-associated Parkinson's Disease Role:PI 100000.00 Completed

Grant: #R01NS094152 Investigators:Luo, Agnes 07-01-2018 -06-30-2019 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Repositioning Gliptins for Parkinson's Disease Treatment Role:PI 342,781/year Completed

Grant: #R21 DA032962 Investigators:Yu (Agnes) Luo and Paul Tesar 2011 -2013 NIH/NIDA Derivation and dopaminergic differentiation of human drug addict-specific iPS cells carrying monoamine transporter polymorphisms Role:PI Completed Type:Grant Level:National

Investigators:Yu (Agnes) Luo 2013 -2017 American Heart Association Role of neuroregeneration in stroke animals Role:PI Completed Type:Grant Level:National

Investigators:Yu (Agnes) Luo 2012 -2014 Spitz Brain Health Innovation Fund Role of The Regulator Gene p53 In Transplant Associated Cell Death In an Animal Model of Parkinson Disease Role:PI Completed Type:Grant Level:National

Peer Reviewed Publications

Bedolla, Alicia; Wegman, Elliot; Weed, Max; Stevens, Messiyah K; Ware, Kierra; Paranjpe, Aditi; Alkhimovitch, Anastasia; Ifergan, Igal; Taranov, Aleksandr; Peter, Joshua D; Gonzalez, Rosa Maria Salazar; Robinson, J Elliott; McClain, Lucas; Roskin, Krishna M; Greig, Nigel H; Luo, Yu (2024. ) Adult microglial TGFβ1 is required for microglia homeostasis via an autocrine mechanism to maintain cognitive function in mice.Nature communications, , 15 (1 ) ,5306 More Information

Taranov, Aleksandr; Bedolla, Alicia; Iwasawa, Eri; Brown, Farrah N; Baumgartner, Sarah; Fugate, Elizabeth M; Levoy, Joel; Crone, Steven A; Goto, June; Luo, Yu (2024. ) The choroid plexus maintains adult brain ventricles and subventricular zone neuroblast pool, which facilitates poststroke neurogenesis.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, , 121 (28 ) ,e2400213121 More Information

Glotfelty, Elliot J; Hsueh, Shih-Chang; Claybourne, Quia; Bedolla, Alicia; Kopp, Katherine O; Wallace, Tonya; Zheng, Binhai; Luo, Yu; Karlsson, Tobias E; McDevitt, Ross A; Olson, Lars; Greig, Nigel H (2023. ) Microglial Nogo delays recovery following traumatic brain injury in mice.Glia, , 71 (10 ) ,2473-2494 More Information

Bedolla, Alicia M; McKinsey, Gabriel L; Ware, Kierra; Santander, Nicolas; Arnold, Thomas D; Luo, Yu (2023. ) A comparative evaluation of the strengths and potential caveats of the microglial inducible CreER mouse models.Cell reports, , 43 (1 ) ,113660 More Information

Ware, Kierra; Wegman, Elliot; Bedolla, Alicia; Luo, Yu (2022. ) Major Caveats Discovered in the Genetic Cell Ablation Model Used to Study Microglia Functions.Translational stroke research, , More Information

Turcato, Flavia Correa; Wegman, Elliot; Lu, Tao; Ferguson, Nathan; Luo, Yu (2022. ) Dopaminergic neurons are not a major Sonic hedgehog ligand source for striatal cholinergic or PV interneurons.iScience, , 25 (11 ) ,105278 More Information

Luo, Fucheng; Wang, Jiapeng; Zhang, Zhen; You, Zhen; Bedolla, Alicia; Okwubido-Williams, FearGod; Huang, L Frank; Silver, Jerry; Luo, Yu (2022. ) Inhibition of CSPG receptor PTPs promotes migration of newly born neuroblasts, axonal sprouting, and recovery from stroke.Cell reports, , 40 (4 ) ,111137 More Information

Lecca, Daniela; Jung, Yoo Jin; Scerba, Michael T; Hwang, Inho; Kim, Yu Kyung; Kim, Sun; Modrow, Sydney; Tweedie, David; Hsueh, Shih-Chang; Liu, Dong; Luo, Weiming; Glotfelty, Elliot; Li, Yazhou; Wang, Jia-Yi; Luo, Yu; Hoffer, Barry J; Kim, Dong Seok; McDevitt, Ross A; Greig, Nigel H (2022. ) Role of chronic neuroinflammation in neuroplasticity and cognitive function: A hypothesis.Alzheimer and Dementia, , More Information

Wang, Jiapeng; Ware, Kierra; Bedolla, Alicia; Allgire, Emily; Turcato, Flavia Correa; Weed, Maxwell; Sah, Renu; Luo, Yu (2022. ) Disruption of Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Accelerates Age-Related Neurogenesis Decline and Abolishes Stroke-Induced Neurogenesis and Leads to Increased Anxiety Behavior in Stroke Mice.Translational stroke research, , More Information

Bedolla, Alicia; Taranov, Aleksandr; Luo, Fucheng; Wang, Jiapeng; Turcato, Flavia; Fugate, Elizabeth M; Greig, Nigel H; Lindquist, Diana M; Crone, Steven A; Goto, June; Luo, Yu (2022. ) Diphtheria toxin induced but not CSF1R inhibitor mediated microglia ablation model leads to the loss of CSF/ventricular spaces in vivo that is independent of cytokine upregulation.Journal of neuroinflammation, , 19 (1 ) ,3 More Information

Boyne, Pierce; Awosika, Oluwole O; Luo, Yu (2021. ) Mapping the corticoreticular pathway from cortex-wide anterograde axonal tracing in the mouse.Journal of neuroscience research, , 99 (12 ) ,3392-3405 More Information

Luo, Fucheng; Zhang, Zhen; Luo, Yu (2021. ) Differential Role of p53 in Oligodendrocyte Survival in Response to Various Stresses: Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, Cuprizone Intoxication or White Matter Stroke.International journal of molecular sciences, , 22 (23 ) , More Information

Gu, Yuning; Gao, Huiyun; Kim, Kihwan; Liu, Yuchi; Ramos-Estebanez, Ciro; Luo, Yu; Wang, Yunmei; Yu, Xin (2021. ) Dynamic oxygen-17 MRI with adaptive temporal resolution using golden-means-based 3D radial sampling.Magnetic resonance in medicine, , 85 (6 ) ,3112-3124 More Information

Luo, Fucheng; Zhang, Zhen; Barnett, Austin; Bellinger, Tania J; Turcato, Flavia; Schmidt, Kelly; Luo, Yu (2020. ) Cuprizone-induced demyelination under physiological and post-stroke condition leads to decreased neurogenesis response in adult mouse brain.Experimental neurology, , 326 ,113168 More Information

Hu, Di; Sun, Xiaoyan; Liao, Xudong; Zhang, Xinwen; Zarabi, Sara; Schimmer, Aaron; Hong, Yuning; Ford, Christopher; Luo, Yu; Qi, Xin (2019. ) Alpha-synuclein suppresses mitochondrial protease ClpP to trigger mitochondrial oxidative damage and neurotoxicity.Acta neuropathologica, , 137 (6 ) ,939-960 More Information

Lu, Tao; Kim, Paul; Luo, Yu (2017. ) Tp53 gene mediates distinct dopaminergic neuronal damage in different dopaminergic neurotoxicant models.Neural regeneration research, , 12 (9 ) ,1413-1417 More Information

Jin, Yongming; Barnett, Austin; Zhang, Yifan; Yu, Xin; Luo, Yu (2017. ) Poststroke Sonic Hedgehog Agonist Treatment Improves Functional Recovery by Enhancing Neurogenesis and Angiogenesis.Stroke, , 48 (6 ) ,1636-1645 More Information

Yang, Ling-Yu; Greig, Nigel H; Huang, Ya-Ni; Hsieh, Tsung-Hsun; Tweedie, David; Yu, Qian-Sheng; Hoffer, Barry J; Luo, Yu; Kao, Yu-Chieh; Wang, Jia-Yi (2016. ) Post-traumatic administration of the p53 inactivator pifithrin-O oxygen analogue reduces hippocampal neuronal loss and improves cognitive deficits after experimental traumatic brain injury.Neurobiology of disease, , 96 ,216-226 More Information

Filichia, Emily; Hoffer, Barry; Qi, Xin; Luo, Yu (2016. ) Inhibition of Drp1 mitochondrial translocation provides neural protection in dopaminergic system in a Parkinson's disease model induced by MPTP.Scientific reports, , 6 ,32656 More Information

Qi, Xin; Davis, Brandon; Chiang, Yung-Hsiao; Filichia, Emily; Barnett, Austin; Greig, Nigel H; Hoffer, Barry; Luo, Yu (2016. ) Dopaminergic neuron-specific deletion of p53 gene is neuroprotective in an experimental Parkinson's disease model.Journal of neurochemistry, , 138 (5 ) ,746-57 More Information

Guo, Xing; Sun, XiaoYan; Hu, Di; Wang, Ya-Juan; Fujioka, Hisashi; Vyas, Rajan; Chakrapani, Sudha; Joshi, Amit Umesh; Luo, Yu; Mochly-Rosen, Daria; Qi, Xin (2016. ) VCP recruitment to mitochondria causes mitophagy impairment and neurodegeneration in models of Huntington's disease.Nature communications, , 7 ,12646 More Information

Wang, Jin-Ya; Huang, Ya-Ni; Chiu, Chong-Chi; Tweedie, David; Luo, Weiming; Pick, Chaim G; Chou, Szu-Yi; Luo, Yu; Hoffer, Barry J; Greig, Nigel H; Wang, Jia-Yi (2016. ) Pomalidomide mitigates neuronal loss, neuroinflammation, and behavioral impairments induced by traumatic brain injury in rat.Journal of neuroinflammation, , 13 (1 ) ,168 More Information

Sheng, Yang; Filichia, Emily; Shick, Elizabeth; Preston, Kenzie L; Phillips, Karran A; Cooperman, Leslie; Lin, Zhicheng; Tesar, Paul; Hoffer, Barry J; Luo, Yu (2016. ) Lower Dopamine D2 Receptor Expression Levels in Human Dopaminergic Neurons Derived From Opioid-Dependent iPSCs.The American journal of psychiatry, , 173 (4 ) ,429-31 More Information

Wang, Jing-Ya; Huang, Ya-Ni; Chiu, Chong-Chi; Tweedie, David; Luo, Weiming; Pick, Chaim G; Chou, Szu-Yi; Luo, Yu; Hoffer, Barry J; Greig, Nigel H; Wang, Jia-Yi (2016. ) Erratum to: Pomalidomide mitigates neuronal loss, neuroinflammation, and behavioral impairments induced by traumatic brain injury in rat.Journal of neuroinflammation, , 13 (1 ) ,228 More Information

Yu Luo, Hui Shen, Hua‐Shan Liu, Seong‐Jin Yu, David Reiner, Brandon K. Harvey, Barry J. Hoffer, Yihong Yang, and Yun Wang (2013. ) CART peptide induces neuroregeneration in stroke rats .Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism , , 33 (2 ) ,300-10

Yu Luo, Chi-Chung Kuo, Hui Shen, Jenny Chou, Nigel H. Greig, Barry J. Hoffer, Yun Wang (2009. ) Delayed treatment with a p53 inhibitor enhances functional recovery in stroke brain .Ann Neurol, , 65 (5 ) ,520-30

Yu Luo, Feng Xing, Rita Guiliano, Howard J. Federoff (2008. ) Identification of a novel Nurr1 interacting protein .J Neurosci, , 28 (37 ) , 9277-86

Invited Publications

Wegman, Elliot; Wosiski-Kuhn, Marlena; Luo, Yu (2024. ) The dual role of striatal interneurons: circuit modulation and trophic support for the basal ganglia.Neural regeneration research, 19 (6 ) ,1277-1283 More Information

Yu Luo; Alan Hoffer; Barry Hoffer; Xin Qi . (2015. ) Mitochondria: a therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease? .Int. J. Mol. Sci., 16 (9 ) ,20704–20730

Yu Luo (2012. ) The function and mechanisms of nurr1 action in midbrain dopaminergic neurons, from development and maintenance to survival .Int Rev Neurobiol, (102 ) ,1-22

Yu Luo (2011. ) Cell-based therapy for stroke .Journal of Neurotransmission, 118 (1 ) ,61-74

Yu Luo, Serena Y Kuang, Barry Hoffer (2009. ) How useful are stem cells in PD therapy? .Parkinson’s disease and Related Disorders, 15 (3 ) ,S171-S175

Book Chapter

Kui Xu, Lena Ye, Katyayini Sharma, Yongming Jin, Matthew M Harrison, Tylor Caldwell, Jessica M Berthiaume, Yu Luo, Joseph C LaManna, Michelle A Puchowicz. (2017 ) Diet-Induced Ketosis Protects Against Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Mouse Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology Book Serials: Oxygen Transport to Tissue XXXIX .

Fucheng Luo and Yu Luo (2017 ) Modulating endogenous neural stem cells to improve regeneration in stroke brain. Springer Series in Translational Stroke Research: “Translational Stroke Research –Cellular and Molecular Approaches to Regeneration & Repair.” .Springer

Encyclopedia Article

Yu Luo, Barry, J. Hoffer, Yun Wang (2010. ) Encyclopedia of Movement Disorders .Elsevier Publish

Academic - 2256 Medical Sciences Building
231 Albert Sabin Way
Cincinnati  Ohio, 45267
Phone: 513-558-1188
Fax: 513-558-5604
luoy2@ucmail.uc.edu