Dr Dan Ma is a Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at Aston Medical School, Aston University, where she contributes to medical education and leads research into stem cell-mediated myelin repair and the neurovascular mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Her research explores how brain stem cells, oligodendrocyte lineage cells and vascular endothelial cells regulate myelin integrity, with particular interest in ageing, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and related white matter pathology. Her work aims to advance translational neuroscience by developing human-relevant models to better understand mechanisms of myelin damage and repair.

Dan obtained her medical degree and MD in China before moving to the UK as a Royal Society Visiting Scholar at the University of Nottingham. She later completed her DPhil in Neuroanatomy at the University of Oxford and continued her biomedical research at the University of Cambridge. At the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, she investigated adult brain stem cells and mechanisms of myelin regeneration.

Since joining Aston Medical School, Dan has developed an independent research programme on endothelial regulation of oligodendrocyte function and neuroregeneration. The Ma Lab uses iPSC-derived endothelial cells, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, 3D nanomatrix myelination models and brain organoids to model neurovascular interactions, focusing on how endothelial function regulates white matter health and informs future therapeutic development.

• PGCert in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education. Aston University, UK
• D.Phil. in neuroanatomy, University of Oxford, UK
• Master of Medicine (MD) in neuroendocrinology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, PR China
• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (BMBCh), The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, PR China

• Stem cell-mediated myelin repair and remyelination
• Endothelial regulation of oligodendrocyte function and white matter health
• Human iPSC-based models of neurovascular interactions in neurodegeneration

·        SFHEA

·        MBChB courses on Regeneration and Repair (Pathological Processes block), Autonomic Nervous System (Physiology and Pharmacology block), Neurons and Neuroglia, and Intracranial Contents (Head and Neck block).

·        MIBTP PhD Masterclass on Experimental Neuro Immunohistochemistry

·        MSc in Bioinformatics and Genomic Medicine on Cell Based Models in Human Disease Research

·        PhD examiner

·        Tutor for medical students

·        Supervisor for research students

• Telephone: 0121 204 4526
• Email: [email protected]
  
• Room Number: MB314C