Wenze Niu, PhD, is an instructor in the Department of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He received his PhD degree in physiology with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases. The potential of clinical therapy for these diseases using stem cells led him into the regenerative medicine field during his postdoctoral training at UT Southwestern.

Dr. Niu’s research showed that an orphan nuclear receptor is absolutely essential for endogenous neural stem cells and neurogenesis in the adult brain. Most importantly, his recent work demonstrates that resident astrocytes can be converted into neuroblasts in the adult model striatum. These induced neuroblasts can further differentiate into mature neurons, which functionally integrate into the local neuronal network. Based on these exciting discoveries, Dr. Niu is currently developing new regeneration-based therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease.