A Short Biography:

Qiulan Ma, M.D., Ph.D. is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at David Geffen School of Medicine, the University of California, Los Angeles. She has been a Faculty member at UCLA since 2006 and Principal Investigator at Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center since 2007.

Dr. Ma did postdoctoral research fellow in molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry with a focus on understanding the physiological and pathological function of alpha-synuclein in neurodegenerative diseases in Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Japan. She earned M.D. from Harbin Medical University and Ph.D. in human molecular genetics and epidemiology in neurodegenerative diseases with a focus in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) from the Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Science, China. As a neurologist, she also earned an M.Sc. degree in ischemic stroke from Harbin Medical University and completed a postdoctoral research fellow in human molecular genetics and epidemiology in neurodegenerative diseases at Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University in Beijing, the nation’s premier center for the research and treatment of neurological disorders and neurosurgical diseases. Before moving to UCLA, she was the Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University.

As a Neurologist-Scientist, Dr. Ma’s research interests have primarily focused on understanding the etiology and pathogenesis of AD, identifying non-invasive brain-derived blood biomarkers, and developing mechanism-driven interventions for treating AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. Her research work has contributed to understanding the mechanisms of abnormal protein aggregates (misfolded proteins), especially soluble amyloid-beta42 oligomer-induced tau hyperphosphorylation, insulin resistance, insulin resistance leading to tau pathology via JNK signaling, and loss of synaptic proteins. Her work has also contributed to the understanding neuronal pentraxin1 as a potential synapse-derived plasma biomarker relevant to AD progression and response to treatment in AD models, and the physiological and pathogenic role of alpha-Synuclein in neurodegenerative diseases. Her recent research activities are focusing on understating the anti-inflammatory mechanism of omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid (LA), in which LA’s metabolite DPAn-6 shows robust treatment effects on AD model E4FAD mice. The major goal of her research is to develop effective therapies for AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Ma has received awards for medical research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/Science Technology Agency of Japan, Alzheimer’s Association, State of California Department of Public Health AD Program, and NIH/NIA R21 award.