Welcome to the Chen Lab!
Our goal is to understand how astrocytes develop and function in the nervous system.
Research
We use fruit flies and zebrafish to explore how astrocytes develop, how their plasticity is regulated, and the roles of astrocytes in modulating neural circuits.
Astrocyte morphogenesis
Astrocytes exhibit a tortuous morphology with elaborate fine processes closely interacting with surrounding neural elements. We are interested in unraveling the molecular basis of astrocyte growth.
Astrocyte plasticity
Astrocytes tile with each other to ensure the full coverage of synaptic neuropil during development. We are exploring how astrocyte tiling plasticity is regulated in development and aging.
Astrocytes in neural circuits
Astrocytes are integral to nervous system formation and function. We are interested in understanding how astrocyte dysfunction influences neural circuit assembly and activity.
Jiakun Chen, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Akhil Malakapalli
Undergraduate Student
Mia Zhou
Undergraduate Student
Mady Chlebowski, B.S.
Graduate Student (BBSP)
joint student with the Celia Shiau Lab
Join Us!
This could be you!
Publications
Chen, J. et al. Astrocyte growth is driven by the Tre1/S1pr1 phospholipid-binding G protein-coupled receptor. Neuron (2023). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.neuron.2023.11.008
Chen, J., Poskanzer, K. E., Freeman, M. R. & Monk, K. R. Live-imaging of astrocyte morphogenesis and function in zebrafish neural circuits. Nat Neurosci 23, 1297-1306 (2020). https://doi.org:10.1038/s41593-020-0703-x
Latest news
4/19/2024
We have two students started in the lab this month! Mia Zhou is a first-year undergraduate at UNC, and Mady Chlebowski will be a joint graduate student with Celia Shiau’s lab. Welcome to our pod!
3/27/2024
We welcome Mady Chlebowski, first-year BBSP student, to do a short rotation in the lab! Mady produced the very first data of our lab at UNC!
2/21/2024
We are excited to welcome Akhil Malakapalli, our first undergradute student, to the lab!
1/2/2024
The official start date of the lab!
Chen Lab at UNC-Chapel Hill 