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Ms. Yu-Xuan Kan Successfully Defends Ph.D. Thesis on “Novel Mechanism of Chinese Medicine Compound Isorhamnetin for Parkinson’s Disease Treatment”

July 28, 2025

Prof. Min Li’s research postgraduate student, Ms. Xin-Jie Guan, from the Mr. & Mrs.Ko Chi Ming Centre for Parkinson's Disease (PD) Research in School of Chinese Medicine, successfully passed her Ph.D. thesis oral examination on July 28, 2025.

Her dissertation identified a novel regulatory mechanism of the schizophrenia risk gene AKAP11 in the autophagy-lysosome pathway, showing that AKAP11 regulates the autophagy-lysosome pathway via PPP3CB-mediated TFEB dephosphorylation and nuclear translocation. Ms. Kan also demonstrated that curcumin analog C1 reduces the accumulation of autophagy substrates and mitigates cognitive impairments in Akap11-deficient mice, identifying AKAP11 as a key autophagy regulator and supporting TFEB targeting as a promising therapeutic strategy.

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Ms. Yu-xuan Kan and the oral examination board members. (Left to right): Prof. Jin Liu, Associate Professor, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University; Prof. Fang-Fei Li, Assistant Professor, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University; Prof. Hiu-Yee KWAN, Professor, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University; Ms. Yu-Xuan Kan; Prof. Min Li, Ms. Yu-Xuan Kan’s principal supervisor, Chair Professor, Dean (School of Chinese Medicine), Ma Pak Leung Endowed Professor in Innovative Neuromedicine, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University; Prof. Zhen-Yu Yue, Professor, Department of Neurology & Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Prof. Jian-Dong Huang, Chair Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong.
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Ms. Yu-xuan Kan and the oral examination board members. (Left to right): Prof. Jin Liu, Associate Professor, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University; Prof. Fang-Fei Li, Assistant Professor, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University; Prof. Hiu-Yee KWAN, Professor, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University; Ms. Yu-Xuan Kan; Prof. Min Li, Ms. Yu-Xuan Kan’s principal supervisor, Chair Professor, Dean (School of Chinese Medicine), Ma Pak Leung Endowed Professor in Innovative Neuromedicine, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University; Prof. Zhen-Yu Yue, Professor, Department of Neurology & Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Prof. Jian-Dong Huang, Chair Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong.