Jialiu obtained her Ph.D. from Boston University where she developed novel biomaterials and nanoparticles and applied them to investigate the role of autophagy and lysosomal dysfunctions in metabolic diseases (T2D and NAFLD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). In her postdoctoral training, Jialiu used human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons to study the genetics of PD in Yale School of Medicine. Prior to joining Syracuse University, Jialiu was a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow and an Early-Career Investigator in LKC School of Medicine at NTU Singapore, where she investigated the role of autolysosomal dysfunction in α-synuclein pathology in both familial and sporadic PD using primary neurons, mouse models, and post-mortem human brain tissues. Jialiu is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, and BioInspired Institute at Syracuse University.
Assistant Professor
Jialiu Zeng, Ph.D.
Jialiu's research interests focus on examining the role of insulin resistance and autolysosomal dysfunction in α-synuclein induced PD and obesity-induced metabolic disorders including T2D and NAFLD. She specializes in synthesizing novel nanomaterials and developing advanced drug delivery platforms to target metabolic dysfunctions and promote the clearance of toxic protein aggregates in the brain. Her lab is also advancing the development of nanomedicine with capability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for brain targeting. Jialiu holds 2 patents and has authored over 25 publications, with her most recent work on innovative therapeutics and nanomedicine tools featured in leading journals such as Nature Communications, Nature Immunology, ACS Nano, Advanced Healthcare Materials, Biomaterials, and Translational Neurodegeneration.