Xuyu Qian, PhD

faculty photo
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Department: Pediatrics

Contact information
Harvard Medical School
3 Blackfan St.
Boston, MA 02115
Office: 5083733500
Education:
B.S. (Biomedical Engineering)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2013.
Ph.D. (Biomedical Engineering)
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2020.
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Description of Research Expertise

Dr. Xuyu Qian's research focuses on understanding the development and diseases of the human cerebral cortex using human-centric approaches. Dr. Qian pioneered the development of human pluripotent stem cell-derived brain organoids and their application as disease models. Dr. Qian also utilizes single-cell spatial transcriptomics to analyze the developing human cortex, uncovering fundamental insights into the formation and specification of distinct cortical layers and areas. By integrating organoid models, spatial omics, and human genetics, Dr. Qian aims to decode healthy developmental programs and identify the genetic and cellular disruptions that lead to diseases, paving the way for advanced therapeutic strategies.

Selected Publications

Coleman K, Schroeder A, Loth M, Zhang D, Park JH, Sung JY, Blank N, Cowan AJ, Qian X, Chen J, Jiang J, Yan H, Samarah LZ, Clemenceau JR, Jang I, Kim M, Barnfather I, Rabinowitz JD, Deng Y, Lee EB, Lazar A, Gao J, Furth EE, Hwang TH, Wang L, Thaiss CA, Hu J, Li M.: Resolving tissue complexity by multimodal spatial omics modeling with MISO. Nat Methods 22(3): 530-538, Mar 2025.

Andersen RE, Talukdar M, Sakamoto T, Song JHT, Qian X, Lee S, Delgado RN, Zhao S, Eichfeld G, Harms J, Walsh CA.: Autism-Associated Genes and Neighboring lncRNAs Converge on Key Gene Regulatory Networks. bioRxiv Page: doi: 10.1101, Jan 2025 Notes: epub.

Shao DD, Zhao Y, Ghosh U, Brew J, Zhao S, Qian X, Tran J, Taketomi T, Tsuruta F, Park PJ, Walsh CA.: Perinatal Reduction of Genetically Aberrant Neurons from Human Cerebral Cortex. bioRxiv Page: doi: 10.1101, Oct 2024 Notes: epub.

Shin T, Song JHT, Kosicki M, Kenny C, Beck SG, Kelley L, Antony I, Qian X, Bonacina J, Papandile F, Gonzalez D, Scotellaro J, Bushinsky EM, Andersen RE, Maury E, Pennacchio LA, Doan RN, Walsh CA.: Rare variation in non-coding regions with evolutionary signatures contributes to autism spectrum disorder risk. Cell Genom 4(8): 100609, Aug 2024.

Qian X, Coleman K, Jiang S, Kriz AJ, Marciano JH, Luo C, Cai C, Manam MD, Caglayan E, Otani A, Ghosh U, Shao DD, Andersen RE, Neil JE, Johnson R, LeFevre A, Hecht JL, Miller MB, Sun L, Stringer C, Li M, Walsh CA.: Spatial Single-cell Analysis Decodes Cortical Layer and Area Specification. bioRxiv Page: doi: 10.1101, Jun 2024 Notes: epub.

Jgamadze D, Lim JT, Zhang Z, Harary PM, Germi J, Mensah-Brown K, Adam CD, Mirzakhalili E, Singh S, Gu JB, Blue R, Dedhia M, Fu M, Jacob F, Qian X, Gagnon K, Sergison M, Fruchet O, Rahaman I, Wang H, Xu F, Xiao R, Contreras D, Wolf JA, Song H, Ming GL, Chen HI.: Structural and functional integration of human forebrain organoids with the injured adult rat visual system. Cell Stem Cell 30(2): 137-152, Feb 2023.

Akula SK, Marciano JH, Lim Y, Exposito-Alonso D, Hylton NK, Hwang GH, Neil JE, Dominado N, Bunton-Stasyshyn RK, Song JHT, Talukdar M, Schmid A, Teboul L, Mo A, Shin T, Finander B, Beck SG, Yeh RC, Otani A, Qian X, DeGennaro EM, Alkuraya FS, Maddirevula S, Cascino GD, Giannini C; Undiagnosed Diseases Network; Burrage LC, Rosenfield JA, Ketkar S, Clark GD, Bacino C, Lewis RA, Segal RA, Bazan JF, Smith KA, Golden JA, Cho G, Walsh CA.: TMEM161B regulates cerebral cortical gyration, Sonic Hedgehog signaling, and ciliary structure in the developing central nervous system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 120(4): e2209964120, Jan 2023.

Qian X, DeGennaro EM, Talukdar M, Akula SK, Lai A, Shao DD, Gonzalez D, Marciano JH, Smith RS, Hylton NK, Yang E, Bazan JF, Barrett L, Yeh RC, Hill RS, Beck SG, Otani A, Angad J, Mitani T, Posey JE, Pehlivan D, Calame D, Aydin H, Yesilbas O, Parks KC, Argilli E, England E, Im K, Taranath A, Scott HS, Barnett CP, Arts P, Sherr EH, Lupski JR, Walsh CA.: Loss of non-motor kinesin KIF26A causes congenital brain malformations via dysregulated neuronal migration and axonal growth as well as apoptosis. Dev Cell 57(20): 2381-2396, Oct 2022.

Cheng Y, Medina A, Yao Z, Basu M, Natekar JP, Lang J, Sanchez E, Nkembo MB, Xu C, Qian X, Nguyen PTT, Wen Z, Song H, Ming GL, Kumar M, Brinton MA, Li MMH, Tang H.: Intrinsic antiviral immunity of barrier cells revealed by an iPSC-derived blood-brain barrier cellular model. Cell Rep 39(9): 110885, May 2022.

Girskis KM, Stergachis AB, DeGennaro EM, Doan RN, Qian X, Johnson MB, Wang PP, Sejourne GM, Nagy MA, Pollina EA, Sousa AMM, Shin T, Kenny CJ, Scotellaro JL, Debo BM, Gonzalez DM, Rento LM, Yeh RC, Song JHT, Beaudin M, Fan J, Kharchenko PV, Sestan N, Greenberg ME, Walsh CA.: Rewiring of human neurodevelopmental gene regulatory programs by human accelerated regions. Neuron 109(20): 3239-3251, Oct 2021.

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Last updated: 03/24/2025
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