Junning Ma | Cell Surface Receptors | Best Research Article Award

Published on by Cell Biologist

Dr. Junning Ma | Cell Surface Receptors | Best Research Article Award

Zhejiang University | China

Dr. Junning Ma has developed a multidisciplinary portfolio spanning neurosurgery, neural engineering, biomaterials, and nanomedicine. Their work integrates neural stem cell biology, targeted drug delivery, and tumor microenvironment modulation to create innovative therapeutic strategies for brain diseases. They have conducted advanced postdoctoral and doctoral research at major institutions, contributing to National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Youth Fund projects and multiple US-funded NIH and AHA grants. Their research focuses on biomimetic nanocarriers, including cell membrane-coated nanoparticles, PLGA-based delivery systems, and fusion-membrane technologies designed for precision therapy of glioma, pituitary adenoma, and ischemic stroke.

Key projects include engineered neural stem cell membrane-coated nanoparticles for stroke targeting, biomimetic nanoplatforms for cancer immunotherapy, and tumor microenvironment–responsive delivery systems. They have also contributed to studies on neuromodulation, neurotrophic factor-based therapy, neural stem cell transplantation, and photothrombotic stroke models. Their publication record includes high-impact journals such as Materials Today Bio, Biomaterials, Nano Letters, Small, and Cell Reports Physical Science, covering topics like vascular-targeting nanoclusters, polyphenol nanoparticles, and membrane-engineered carriers.

Overall, their research advances translational nanomedicine and regenerative neuroscience, with an emphasis on targeted therapies capable of overcoming the challenges of brain tumor heterogeneity, the blood–brain barrier, and ischemic neural injury.

Profiles: Scopus | Orcid

Featured Publications: 

Ma, J., Win, Y., Xiaojian, Z., et al. (2023). Enhanced EPR effects by folliculostellate cell membrane–coated nanoparticles on invasive pituitary adenoma. Materials Today Bio.

Ma, J., Dai, L., Jianbo, Y., et al. (2023). Tumor microenvironment targeting system for glioma treatment via fusion cell membrane coating nanotechnology. Biomaterials.

Ma, J., Liu, F., Wendy, C., et al. (2020). Co-presentation of tumor antigens with costimulation via biomimetic nanoparticles for effective cancer immunotherapy. Nano Letters.

Ma, J., Zhang, S., Jun, L., et al. (2019). Targeted drug delivery to stroke via chemotactic recruitment of nanoparticles coated with membranes of engineered neural stem cells. Small.

Paola Leone | Neuronal Cell Biology | Pioneer Researcher Award

Published on by Cell Biologist

Prof. Dr. Paola Leone | Neuronal Cell Biology | Pioneer Researcher Award

Rowan-Virtua SOM and Virtua Health College of Medicine and Life Sciences of Rowan University | United States

Dr. Paola Leone is a neuroscientist and cell biologist whose work focuses on pediatric white matter diseases, mechanisms of myelination, and gene/cell‐based therapies to repair white matter pathology. After completing a doctoral degree in Neuroscience at the University of Padua (Italy), she undertook a post‑doctoral fellowship in Behavioral Neurobiology at Concordia University, Montreal, where early work included studies on dopamine receptors and opioid interaction in reward pathways. Over subsequent decades, her research has expanded to include using viral vector models, evaluating gene expression in glial and neuronal interactions, and metabolic demands in neurological disease models such as Alzheimer’s and leukodystrophies. According to institutional metrics, her department (Cell Biology at Rowan University) shows ~6,735 citations and an h‑index of 44 across roughly 176 articles (plus reviews and other contributions). Roan University These figures reflect both leadership in publications and influence in the neuroscience/cell biology community. Her scholarly contributions have significantly advanced understanding of neuron‑glia energetics, genetic regulation of myelination, and translational strategies for repair in white matter disease.

Profile: Scopus

Featured Publications:

  • “Blockade of D1 receptors by SCH 23390 antagonizes morphine- and amphetamine-induced place preference conditioning”

  • “5HT3 receptor antagonists block morphine and nicotine- but not amphetamine-induced reward”

  • “SCH 23390 blocks drug-conditioned place preference and place-aversion: anhedonia (lack of reward) or apathy (lack of motivation) after dopamine-receptor blockade?”

  • “Morphine-dopamine interaction: ventral tegmental morphine increases nucleus accumbens dopamine release as measured by in vivo microdialysis”

  • “Intrahippocampal injection of a HSV-1 vector expressing GluR6 induces spontaneous limbic seizures and CA1 and CA3 hyperexcitability”

  • “Differential involvement of ventral tegmental Mu, Delta and Kappa opioid receptors in modulation of basal mesolimbic dopamine release: In vivo microdialysis studies”

  • “Ventral mesencephalic & opioid are involved in modulation of basal mesolimbic dopamine neurotransmission: an anatomical localization study”

  • “Striatal tissue preparation facilitates early sampling in microdialysis and reveals an index of neuronal damage”

  • “Mesolimbic dopamine neurotransmission is increased by administration of µ-opioid receptor antagonists”

  • “Direct measurement of extracellular lactate in the human hippocampus during spontaneous seizures”