Dr. Zixu Mao graduated from Southeast University School of Medicine with a degree in Preventive Medicine in 1982 and a Master degree in Medical Virology from Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences in China. He received his PhD from Duke University Medical Center in 1992. His research focuses on the mechanisms that neuronal response to stress signals. He is interested in using molecular and cellular tools to understand how stress signals are transmitted in neurons, what key regulators are involved in this process, what the downstream effectors mediate the stress response, and how dysregulation of these pathways may contribute neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson‰Ûªs disease. Specifically, his investigation involves determining the role and regulation of autophagy, DNA damage response, and mitochondrial function in neuronal survival and death. In this context, he has been studying a family of neuronal survival factor myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) and cyclin dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5). A major goal of these studies is that by revealing novel mechanisms underlying neuronal stress response, one may uncover new therapeutic approaches in treating neurodegenerative diseases.