The new research will focus on understanding how disease-associated microglia change over time and how these changes may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease progression, potentially revealing new opportunities for therapeutic designs.
Vikram Karra, an undergraduate researcher in the Tristan Li lab has been awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. Karra, who is studying neuroscience in the biology major in Arts & Sciences, aims to be a physician-scientist advancing neuroscience research and translating discoveries into therapies for neurodegenerative disease. He plans to enroll in a MD/PhD program to develop his skills as a clinician while also advancing his research on the molecular mechanisms behind neurodegeneration.
A collaborative research effort between the laboratories of Qingyun Li, PhD, assistant professor in the Departments of Genetics and Neuroscience, and Harrison Gabel, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine has uncovered fundamental mechanisms that govern how microglia—the brain’s resident immune cells—adapt their functional states across development, aging, and disease. The study, “State-specific enhancer landscapes govern microglial plasticity,” was recently published in Immunity.
Graduate student Kia Barclay of the Li Lab has been selected as a Graduate Student Recipient of the 2025 Provost’s Research Excellence Award, a prestigious university-wide honor recognizing outstanding research achievement. Barclay is one of only seven students across both the Danforth and Medical campuses to receive the award this year—and the sole honoree representing the School of Medicine, underscoring the exceptional impact of her scientific contributions.
A recent study published in Immunity by the Li lab opens a new chapter for the study of microglial function in development and neurodegeneration with remarkable precision.
The Whitehall Foundation has awarded a three-year $225,000 grant to Tristan Qingyun Li, assistant professor of neuroscience and of genetics at Washington University School of Medicine