Ruixuan Gao: What can molecules tell us about our brains

Imagine attaching a glowstick to a small fish and releasing it into dark water. Even better, imagine tagging an entire school of fish with tiny fluorescent lights, revealing how they interact, swirl and school as a constellation.

That's essentially what Ruixuan Gao, assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, studies at UIC. But instead of making fish glow, he labels molecules in the brain with light-up dye.

"Living organisms are assembled from tens of thousands of molecular entities," said Gao, who was named this year's Rising Star in Basic Life Sciences. "I study how these molecules function and work together to unlock the secrets of biological processes."

Studying molecules in the brain may clarify the origins of mental disorders, dysfunctions and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease. Similarly, studying molecules related to cancer may help target and eradicate tumors.

Gao currently uses two techniques to investigate molecules: fluorescence microscopy, which dyes molecules of interest so they light up under a microscope, and mass spectrometry, which identifies molecules based on their weight. Gao's recent innovation, a method to visualize entire organs in high resolution, appeared on the cover of Science last October.

Gao broke into his field during his postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With his PhD in chemistry, Gao joined a neurobiology lab that stretched his knowledge of the brain. Now, Gao's lab at UIC includes biologists and chemists. Gao himself is affiliated with both the biology and chemistry departments.

"I feel very supported by the chemistry and biology departments, as well as the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as a whole," Gao said. "I'm very grateful to be in a college that supports early-career scientists both professionally and personally."

Last year, neurobiology entered Gao's personal life in the form of his new son. The new parent can't help but maintain his researcher's curiosity.

"I study how the brain shapes and reshapes itself. How does a child become a toddler and grow bigger? As a scientist, it's eye-opening and absolutely amazing to see that firsthand," he said.

Gao was named a Searle Scholar and received funding from Scialog in 2022 and received the New Innovator award from the National Institutes of Health in 2023.