Yukun Yuan

 headshot of Yukun Yuan
Associate Research Scientist
Pharmacology
Medical School
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Pharmacology
1150 W Medical Center Dr. 2301C MSRB III
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
[email protected]
Available to mentor
Yukun Yuan
headshot of Yukun Yuan
Associate Research Scientist
  • About
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  • Qualifications
  • Center Memberships
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications

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    • About

    Dr. Yuan has over 40 years of reseach experiences in toxicology and neuroscience after completion of medical school training. His expertise is in the fields of enzyme kinetic analysis, ion channel function and central synaptic transmission.

    Links
    • Isom Lab

    Qualifications
    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow
      University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Ann Arbor, United States
      1997 - 2020
      Postdoctoral Research
    • Ph.D. Graduate Student
      Michigan State University, Pharmacology/Toxicology, East Lansing, United States
      1993 - 1997
      Other
    • Master Graduate student
      Peking University Health Science Center, Toxicology, Beijing, China
      1985 - 1988
      Other

    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Frankel Institute for Heart and Brain Health

    Research Overview

    My research interests are in the fields of Neuropharmacology, Neurotoxicology and Neurological disorders. Specifically, my research focus on channelopathy-related neurological disorders such as epilepsy, effects of environmental contaminants on synaptic function in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) and the contributions of gene-environment interactions to the etiology of some neurological disorders such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and epilepsy resulting from mutation or dysfunction of a specific type of ion channels in the CNS.

    Recent Publications

     See All Publications
    • Preprint
      Human Medial Ganglionic Eminence Organoids Robustly Generate Parvalbumin Interneurons and Fast-Spiking Neurons and Reveal Migratory Deficits in SLC6A1 Deficient Interneurons.
      Varela MC, Walker MP, Bok J, Crespo EL, Thenstedt T, Goldstein L, Tidball AM, Yuan Y, Isom LL, Fu J, Uhler M, Parent JM. 2025 Nov 14; DOI:10.1101/2025.07.01.662594
      PMID: 40631166
    • Journal Article
      Ataxia and cerebellar hypoexcitability in a mouse model of SCN1B-linked Dravet syndrome
      Yuan Y, O’Malley HA, Winters JJ, Lavado A, Denomme NS, Bakshi S, Hodges SL, Lopez-Santiago L, Chen C, Isom LL. Jci Insight, 2025 Sep 9; 10 (17): DOI:10.1172/jci.insight.187606
      PMID: 40923316
    • Proceeding / Abstract / Poster
      Dravet Syndrome Patient Variant SCN1B p.R89C Alters Neuronal Membrane Electric Properties Leading to Hyperexcitability in Human iPSC-derived Excitatory Cortical Neurons.
      Yuan Y, Lopez-Santiago L, Dang L, Lin G, Swaminathan P, Vaid S, Loughman A, Tidball A, Štěrbová K, Weckhuysen S, DeJonghe P, Parent J, Isom L. 2024 Dec 6;
    • Journal Article
      Antisense oligonucleotides restore excitability, GABA signalling and sodium current density in a Dravet syndrome model
      Yuan Y, Lopez-Santiago L, Denomme N, Chen C, O’Malley HA, Hodges SL, Ji S, Han Z, Christiansen A, Isom LL. Brain, 2024 Apr 1; 147 (4): 1231 - 1246. DOI:10.1093/brain/awad349
      PMID: 37812817
    • Journal Article
      Deriving early single-rosette brain organoids from human pluripotent stem cells
      Tidball AM, Niu W, Ma Q, Takla TN, Walker JC, Margolis JL, Mojica-Perez SP, Sudyk R, Deng L, Moore SJ, Chopra R, Shakkottai VG, Murphy GG, Yuan Y, Isom LL, Li JZ, Parent JM. Stem Cell Reports, 2023 Dec 12; 18 (12): 2498 - 2514. DOI:10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.10.020
      PMID: 37995702
    • Journal Article
      Heterogeneity of voltage gated sodium current density between neurons decorrelates spiking and suppresses network synchronization in Scn1b null mouse models
      Hull JM, Denomme N, Yuan Y, Booth V, Isom LL. Scientific Reports, 2023 Dec 1; 13 (1): DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-36036-0
      PMID: 37264112
    • Proceeding / Abstract / Poster
      STK-001 surrogate restores the excitability of parvalbumin-positive fast-spiking interneurons in a mouse model of Dravet Syndrome.
      Lopez-Santiago L, Yuan Y, Denomme N, Chen C, Ji S, Han Z, Christiansen A, Liau G, Isom L. 2023 Jul 31;
    • Proceeding / Abstract / Poster
      Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model to Study Interneuron Defects in Dravet Syndrome
      Verma I, Yuan Y, Lopez-Santiago L, Uhler M, Isom L, Parent J. 2023 Jun 14;

    Featured News & Stories

         brain drawn
    Health Lab

    Gene therapy for rare epilepsy shows promise in mice

    Dravet syndrome and other developmental epileptic encephalopathies are rare but devastating conditions. Research from Michigan Medicine takes aim at variant in SCN1B, which causes an even more severe form of DEE.