Dr Jing Qiu

Personal profile

• 10/2025 - present: Lecturer and Group Leader, University of Edinburgh
• 05/2022 - 10/2025: UKDRI Emerging Leader
• 09/2021 - 09/2026: Rowling Tenure Track Neurology Fellow, University of Edinburgh
• 01/2010 - 09/2021: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh
• 07/2007 - 08/2009: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Bristol
• 09/2003 - 07/2007: PhD in Molecular Neuroscience, University of Bristol
• 09/2002 - 09/2003: MSc in Immunology and Allergy, University of Nottingham
• 08/2000 - 06/2002: Resident physician, Liaoning Jinqiu Hospital, Shenyang, China
• 09/1995 - 08/2000: Bachelor in Medicine, Dalian Medical University, China

Research Theme

• Ageing and Degeneration

Research

Our research investigates how interactions between the brain vasculature, immune system and peripheral environment influence brain health during ageing and neurodegenerative disease. We are particularly interested in mechanisms that regulate blood–brain barrier integrity, cerebral perfusion and neuroinflammation, and how disruption of these processes contributes to cognitive decline and dementia. Alongside mechanistic studies, we develop therapeutic approaches aimed at protecting the neurovascular environment and modulating neuroinflammatory responses.

Our research currently focuses on three interconnected areas:

1. Neurovascular dysfunction and Nrf2 signalling

Cerebrovascular dysfunction and blood–brain barrier impairment are important contributors to cognitive decline and dementia. We investigate the cellular mechanisms that maintain neurovascular homeostasis, with a particular interest in the antioxidant and cytoprotective transcription factor Nrf2. Using cell-specific experimental models, we study how Nrf2 signalling within different components of the neurovascular unit influences vascular function, blood–brain barrier integrity and inflammatory responses. We also explore whether these pathways can be therapeutically targeted in vascular cognitive impairment and dementia.

2. Microglial states and therapeutic discovery

Microglia adopt diverse functional states in response to changes in the brain environment, with important consequences for neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. We combine phenotypic drug screening, transcriptomics and machine learning to identify compounds that modulate microglial states and potentially promote beneficial cellular responses. By integrating experimental and computational approaches, we aim to identify candidate therapeutics and develop more efficient strategies for discovering treatments targeting complex neuroinflammatory processes.

3. Peripheral inflammation and brain health

A growing area of our research investigates how inflammatory events outside the brain influence brain function during ageing and neurodegenerative disease. We are particularly interested in how common peripheral infections, including urinary tract infection (UTI), communicate with the brain. UTIs are common in older people and are frequently associated with delirium and cognitive deterioration, particularly in people living with dementia, yet the underlying biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. We investigate how peripheral infection influences the neurovascular and neuroimmune environment, with the aim of understanding its impact on the ageing and vulnerable brain.

Funding

• British Heart Foundation Project Grant Award
• EPSRC IAA Award

Group Members

• Haoyu Zou (PhD student)
• Pamela Holland (Research Technician)
• Noah Chia (Visiting student)
• Stella Wigglesworth-Littlewood (Postdoctoral Research Fellow)

Collaborations

• Giles Hardingham, University of Edinburgh
• Karen Horsburgh, University of Edinburgh
• Andrea Caporali, University of Edinburgh
• Joanna Wardlaw, University of Edinburgh
• Sohan Seth, University of Edinburgh
• David Gally, University of Edinburgh
• Guangzhao Mao, University of Edinburgh
• Michael Chen, University of Edinburgh
• Siddharthan Chandran, University of Edinburgh
• Neil Carragher, University of Edinburgh
• Ke Li, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China

Selected Publications

Loan, J.J.M., Qiu, J., Barrington, J., Baxter, P., McKay, S., Kirby, C., He, X., Lerpiniere, C., McDade, K., Beniazza, M., McQueen, J., Schaper, F., Cheng, Y., Geary, B., Dando, O.R., Smith, C., Samarasekera, N., Al-Shahi Salman, R., McColl, B.W., and Hardingham, G.E. (2026). Mononuclear myeloid cells mount an adaptive protective response to intracerebral haemorrhage by activation of NRF2. Nature Communications. Accepted.

He, X., Dando, O., and Qiu, J. (2025). Nrf2 controls homeostatic transcriptional signatures and inflammatory responses in a cell-type specific manner in the adult mouse brain. iScience 28, 113198.

Zou, H., Leah, T., Huang, Z., He, X., Mameli, E., Caporali, A., Dando, O., and Qiu, J. (2025). Endothelial cell Nrf2 controls neuroinflammation following a systemic insult. iScience 28, 112630.

O'Keeffe, M., Booker, S.A., Walsh, D., Li, M., Henley, C., Simões de Oliveira, L., Liu, M., Wang, X., Banqueri Lopez, M., Ridley, K., Dissanayake, K.N., Martinez-Gonzalez, C., Craigie, K.J., Vasoya, D., Leah, T., He, X., Hume, D.A., Duguid, I., Nolan, M.F., Qiu, J., et al. (2025). Typical development of synaptic and neuronal properties can proceed without microglia in the cortex and thalamus. Nature Neuroscience 28, 268–279.

Dando, O., McQueen, J., Burr, K., Kind, P.C., Chandran, S., Hardingham, G.E., and Qiu, J. (2024). A comparison of basal and activity-dependent exon splicing in cortical-patterned neurons of human and mouse origin. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience 17, 1392408.

Jiwaji, Z., Tiwari, S.S., Aviles-Reyes, R.X., Hooley, M., Hampton, D., Torvell, M., Johnson, D.A., McQueen, J., Baxter, P., Sabari-Sankar, K., Qiu, J., He, X., Fowler, J., Febery, J.A., Gregory, J.M., Rose, J., Tulloch, J., Loan, J., Story, D., McDade, K., et al. (2022). Reactive astrocytes acquire neuroprotective as well as deleterious signatures in response to Tau and Aβ pathology. Nature Communications 13, 135.

Baxter, P.S., Márkus, N.M., Dando, O., He, X., Al-Mubarak, B.R., Qiu, J., and Hardingham, G.E. (2021). Targeted de-repression of neuronal Nrf2 inhibits α-synuclein accumulation. Cell Death & Disease 12, 218.

Baxter, P., Dando, O., He, X., Hardingham, G.E., and Qiu, J. (2021). Neurons and astrocytes combine to maintain microglia maturity and regulate inflammatory responses in vitro. Cell Reports 34.

Qiu, J., Dando, O., Baxter, P.S., Hasel, P., Heron, S., Simpson, T.I., and Hardingham, G.E. (2018). Mixed-species RNA-seq for elucidation of non-cell-autonomous control of gene transcription. Nature Protocols 13, 2176–2199.

Qiu, J., McQueen, J., Bilican, B., Dando, O., Magnani, D., Punovuori, K., Selvaraj, B.T., Livesey, M., Haghi, G., Heron, S., et al. (2016). Evidence for evolutionary divergence of activity-dependent gene expression in developing neurons. eLife 5.

Qiu, J., Tan, Y.W., Hagenston, A.M., Martel, M.A., Kneisel, N., Skehel, P.A., Wyllie, D.J.A., Bading, H., and Hardingham, G.E. (2013). Mitochondrial calcium uniporter Mcu controls excitotoxicity and is transcriptionally repressed by neuroprotective nuclear calcium signals. Nature Communications 4, 2034.

Information for students:

Willingness to discuss research projects with undergraduate and postgraduate students: YES - please click here