大脑是机体的司令部，在调控器官活动和多种生理功能中占据主导地位。我实验室的研究主要集中在脑—体互作，尤其感兴趣大脑如何感知机体能量状态，进而调控摄食行为、能量代谢稳态和免疫功能。我们从系统神经生物学整体观出发开展研究，立足本实验室的原创性发现，揭示神经-代谢-免疫的交互机制。此外，我们还与临床开展密切合作，希望将神经调控整体观思想应用于临床疾病的干预与治疗中，例如造血干细胞移植引起的急性移植物抗宿主病(aGVHD)的预防。研究方向主要归纳为如下两点：
1）神经-免疫-代谢的反馈调节机制。
2）神经对免疫相关疾病的调控机制与临床应用。
特任教授 博士生导师 2018年获基金委优秀青年基金支持。2021年加入中国科学与技术大学。近年来以第一/通讯作者身份在Nature Neuroscience，Neuron，Current Biology, PNAS等国际知名杂志发表多篇论文，累计他引2200余次，h-index 17，最高单篇他引490余次（截至2024年，Google Scholar）。现任中国生理学会青年工作委员会和自主神经分会委员，中国神经生物学会应激分会委员。
代表性学术论文(#通讯作者)：
1、Yan Zhang, Jiayi Shen, Famin Xie, Zhiwei Liu, Fangfang Yin, Mingxiu Cheng, Liang Wang, Meiting Cai, Herbert Herzog, Ping Wu, Zhi Zhang#, Cheng Zhan#, Tiemin Liu#. Feedforward inhibition of stress by brainstem neuropeptide Y neurons. Nature Communications (2024).
2、Liang Wang, Mingxiu Cheng, Yucheng Wang, Jing Chen, Faming Xie, Li-Hao Huang, Cheng Zhan#. Fasting-activated neurons regulate immune cell homing and suppress autoimmune diseases in mice. Nature Neuroscience (2024).
News and Views, Hunger guides immunity to friend versus foe. N. Or-Geva and L. Steinman, Nature Neuroscience (2024).
3、Jing Cai, Jing Chen, Joshua Ortiz-Guzman, Jessica Huang, Benjamin R Arenkiel, Yuchen Wang, Yan Zhang, Yuyan Shi, Qingchun Tong#, Cheng Zhan#. AgRP neurons are not indispensable for body weight maintenance in adult mice. Cell Reports (2023).
4、Meiqi Wang, Cheng Zhan#. Anatomical analysis of sensory ganglia in mice. Stress and Brain (2022).
5、Jing Chen, Chunli Li, Zhonghua Lu, Cheng Zhan#. Optimal Timing of a Commonly-Used Rabies Virus for Neural Recording and Manipulation. Neuroscience Bulletin (2022).
6、Jing Chen, Minxiu Cheng, Liang Wang, Lei Zhang, Dan Xu, Peng Cao, Fengchao Wang, Herbert Herzog, Sen Song, Cheng Zhan#. A vagal-NTS neural pathway that stimulates feeding. Current Biology (2020).
7、L. Mei, Y.Fan , M. Wang, X. Lv , C. Zhan#, E. Zhang#. Longitudinal in vivo recording of clock gene transcription in the brains of freely-moving mice. PNAS (2018). Selected for F1000Prime.
8、Z. Zhao, L. Wang, W. Gao, F. Hu, J. Zhang, Y. Ren, R. Lin, Q. Feng, M. Cheng, D. Ju, Q. Chi, D. Wang, S. Song, M. Luo and C. Zhan#. A Central Catecholaminergic Circuit Controls Blood Glucose Levels during Stress. Neuron (2017). Featured Article.
9、D. Wang, X. He, Z. Zhao, Q.Feng, R.Lin, Y. Sun, T. Ding, F. Xu #, M. Luo #, C. Zhan #. Whole-brain mapping of the direct inputs and axonal projections of POMC and AgRP neurons. Frontiers in Neuroanatomy(2015).
10、C. Zhan*#, J. Zhou *, Q. Feng, J. Zhang, S. Lin, J. Bao, P. Wu, M. Luo #, Acute and long-term suppression of feeding behavior by POMC neurons in the brainstem and hypothalamus, respectively. J Neuroscience (2013). Selected for F1000Prime.
11、C. Zhan, M. Luo, Diverse patterns of odor representation by neurons in the anterior piriform cortex of awake mice. J Neuroscience(2010).
综述文章：
1、Jing Chen, Cheng Zhan#. Gut–vagus–NTS neural pathway in controlling feeding behaviors. Stress and Brain (2023).
2、Zeng, W.#, Yang, F.#, Shen, W.L.#, Zhan, C.#, Zheng, P.#, and Hu, J. Interactions between central nervous system and peripheral metabolic organs. Science China Life Science (2022).
3、占成，摄食行为的神经调控。中国科学.生命科学 (2020).
4、Zhan C#. POMC Neurons: Feeding, Energy Metabolism, and Beyond. In Neural Regulation of Metabolism. Springer (2018).
实验室主页：https://zhanlab.ustc.edu.cn/
招生招聘：
实验室招聘生物或者医学背景的博士后和特任副研究员，同时欢迎上述背景的学生来本实验室攻读博士学位。