Kuo-Fen Lee, PhD

Professor

Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology

Helen McLoraine Chair in Molecular Neurobiology

Salk Institute for Biological Studies - News

News


Researchers identify neurons involved in overdose deaths

LA JOLLA—It’s long been known that opioid overdose deaths are caused by disrupted breathing, but the actual mechanism by which these drugs suppress respiration was not understood. Now, a new …


Guardians of the synapse: scientists identify a new role for nerve-supporting cells

LA JOLLA—Salk researchers have found, for the first time, that a blood-clotting protein can, unexpectedly, degrade nerves—and how nerve-supporting glial cells, including Schwann cells, provide protection. The findings, published March …


“Busybody” protein may get on your nerves, but that’s a good thing

LA JOLLA—Sensory neurons regulate how we recognize pain, touch, and the movement and position of our own bodies, but the field of neuroscience is just beginning to unravel this circuitry. …


Elevating brain protein allays symptoms of Alzheimer’s and improves memory

LA JOLLA—Boosting levels of a specific protein in the brain alleviates hallmark features of Alzheimer’s disease in a mouse model of the disorder, according to new research published online August …


Salk scientists uncover new clues to repairing an injured spinal cord

LA JOLLA—Frogs, dogs, whales, snails can all do it, but humans and primates can’t. Regrow nerves after an injury, that is—while many animals have this ability, humans don’t. But new …


Salk scientist discovers novel mechanism in spinal cord injury

LA JOLLA, CA—More than 11,000 Americans suffer spinal cord injuries each year, and since over a quarter of those injuries are due to falls, the number is likely to rise …


Salk professors awarded chair appointments

LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute is pleased to announce that professors E.J. Chichilnisky, Jan Karlseder, and Kuo-Fen Lee have each been selected as the recipient of an endowed chair to …


At last, a function at the junction-Salk researchers discover that stem cell marker regulates synapse formation

LA JOLLA, CA—Among stem cell biologists there are few better-known proteins than nestin, whose very presence in an immature cell identifies it as a “stem cell,” such as a neural …


Repairing a ‘bad’ reputation?

La Jolla, CA—New research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies casts the role of a neuronal growth factor receptor—long suspected to facilitate the toxic effects of beta …


A possible mechanistic link between stress and the development of Alzheimer tangles

La Jolla, CA – Subjecting mice to repeated emotional stress, the kind we experience in everyday life, may contribute to the accumulation of neurofibrillary …


Insulin: in need of some restraint?

La Jolla, CA – Knocking out the gene for a peptide associated with insulin secretion protects mice against the harmful effects of a high-fat diet, report researchers at …


Developing nervous system sculpted by opposing chemical messengers

La Jolla, CA – A newborn baby moves, breathes and cries in part because a network of nerves called motor neurons carry signals from the infant’s brain and spinal cord …


Potential Link Found Between Breast Cancer Drug and Cardiac Failure

La Jolla, CA – A team led by Salk scientists has identified the probable link between the breast cancer drug Herceptin and cardiac failure, one of its common side effects. …


Synapse Formation Triggered By Muscle, Salk Scientists Show

La Jolla, CA – Sometimes nerve is all you need. But nerves have needs, too, including the use of synapses – tiny junctions that coordinate communication between nerves and the …


Single Gene Deficiency Makes Mice “Neurotic”

La Jolla, CA – Mice are not usually noted for their stalwart natures, but a new Salk Institute study shows that the loss of a single gene can render them …


Education

Plant Pathology, National Taiwan University
MS, Cancer Enzymology and Cell Differentiation, National Yang-Ming Medical College, Taiwan
PhD, Endocrinology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
Postdoctoral Fellow, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Profile

Contact

klee@salk.edu