Zihan Sun

I am a PhD student in the Cambridge Stroke Research Group. My research applies epidemiologic, genetic, and omics techniques to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD). cSVD has been recognized as a leading cause of stroke and vascular dementia, and it is highly prevalent among the elderly. My research aims to identify at-risk individuals who are genetically predisposed to cSVD and to allow early preventions. Meanwhile, by integrating genomics, proteomics, and neuroimaging data, my research tries to delineate the pathogenic pathways underlying cSVD, with a long-term goal to develop therapeutics for disease treatment.

My current projects include:

1. investigating the genetic architecture of glymphatic function – a novel disease mechanism implicated in cSVD,
2. leveraging multi-omics data to investigate molecular mechanisms of cSVD. Particularly, I am testing whether genes and proteins related to inflammation play key roles, and if so, which of them can become drug targets,
3. prioritizing causal genes from cSVD GWAS with innovative machine-learning and deep-learning tools.