Professor Xu-Feng Huang

MSc, MBBS, PhD

Positions:

• Professor in the School of Health Sciences
• Director of the CTN (Centre for Translational Neuroscience)
• Director the Schizophrenia Research Institute Wollongong Centre
• Scientific Director, Metabolic Conditions Research Theme (IHMRI)

Teaching & Coordinating:

• SHS310 Regional Anatomy
• SHS311 Fundamentals of Neuroscience
• SHS320 Motor Control and Dysfunction

Research Interests:

The major research focus of the CTN is to translate the neurobiological basis of the three major diseases, schizophrenia, obesity and colon cancer, from cell culture, animal models to humans.

• Neuropathology of Schizophrenia: Our schizophrenia research aims to investigate possible causal mechanisms of schizophrenia and to develop more effective antipsychotic drug treatments. In order to achieve these aims, there are 3 main foci of our research:
  1. we use animal models to investigate the role of specific genes and environmental factors on brain development, plasticity and behaviour;  
  2. we use human post-mortem brain tissue to establish the neurochemical changes occurring in the schizophrenia brain; and  
  3. we investigate the mechanisms of current antipsychotic drugs and test the potential of novel antipsychotic treatments in our animal models. We are working on a new way to treat schizophrenia and allied disorders by improving the drug efficacy and reducing side-effects focusing on metabolic syndrome.
  
   
• Obesity and Diabetes: At the CTN our obesity research aims to investigate possible causal mechanisms of obesity and to develop more effective prevention and treatments. To achieve these aims, there are 2 main foci of our research:
  1. we study how to use selected functional food molecules to prevent and treat obesity and its related metabolic syndrome and Type II diabetes. This includes the development of intelligent dietary fibres using beta glucan derived from oats and identification of structure and function relationship of triterpene saponins derived from natural plants such as ginseng, tea and astragalus roots.
  2. we use diet-induced obesity mouse models to investigate the mechanisms of the development of obesity, particularly in the neuroendocrine regulation of food intake and glucose metabolism.
  
   
• Obesity-associated Colon Cancer: The main objective of our studies linking obesity and colon cancer are to identify risk factors in obesity which lead to colon cancer using cell culture and animal models. We will test whether intelligent dietary fibre developed in our laboratory can prevent obesity-associated colon cancer. We will test the new radioligand labelled compound (PBR11195, ANSTO) can be used for early detection and monitoring progression of inflammation and colon cancer.

Publications:

Searchable RIS publications from 2000 to date

Huang, XF, Yinghua Yu, Eleanor Beck, Tim South, Yulin Li, Marijka, Batterham, Linda C, Tapsell and Jiezhong Chen (2011) Diet high in oat β-glucan activates the gut-hypothalamic (PYY3-36-NPY) axis and increases satiety in diet-induced obesity in mice, Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 55, 1118-1121 (ERA Ranking: A*).

Weston-Green K, Huang, XF, and Deng C (2011) Effects of olanzapine on muscarinic M3 receptor binding density in the brain relates to weight gain, plasma insulin and metabolic hormone levels, European Neuropsycho-pharmacology (ERA Ranking: A), Accepted 2/9/2011.

Du Bois T, Newell K, and Huang XF (2011) Perinatal phencyclidine treatment alters neuregulin 1/erbB4 expression and activation in later life, European Neuropsychopharmacology, European Neuropsycho-pharmacology (ERA Ranking: A), Accepted 2/9/2011.

Frank E, Newell K and Huang XF (2011). Density of metabotropic glutamate receptors 2 and 3 (mGluR2/3) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex does not differ with schizophrenia diagnosis but decreases with age. Schizophrenia Research, 128(1-3):56-60 (ERA Ranking: A).

Huang XF and J Chen (2009) Obesity, the PI3K/Akt signal pathway and colon cancer. Obesity Reviews; 10 (6):610-6; IF= 7.821. This paper reviews the link between obesity and colon cancer development. The key risk factors were identified. This review summarized existing knowledge, made critical hypotheses and pointed out key therapeutic target addressing the link between obesity and bowel cancer. Obesity review is ranked the number one journal among all obesity journals and the 5th in 92 Endocrinology and Metabolism Journals (ERA Ranking: A*).

Email:     xu_feng_huang@uow.edu.au
Phone:   +61 2 4221 4300
Office:    B32.305