Research in the Lee Lab
Our lab seeks to investigate and redefine the biological limits of peripheral nerve repair by harnessing the metabolic power of glial cells. We aim to translate fundamental discoveries in cellular signaling into clinical applications that restore motor and sensory function for patients facing life-altering nerve injuries. To accomplish this, the lab integrates a diverse toolkit ranging from state-of-the-art genetic engineering and lipid nanoparticle delivery to sophisticated sciatic nerve injury models and high-resolution imaging.
A primary research direction in the lab focuses on Schwann cells—the specialized support cells that orchestrate the body’s response to nerve trauma. While these cells are known to form the physical pathways that guide regrowing nerves, the Lee lab is investigating a novel regulatory frontier: the role of neurotransmitter receptors on glial cells. Although these receptors have been traditionally studied for their signaling roles in the brain, we are investigating the specific roles that N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors play in the peripheral nervous system following injury. By modulating these receptors, we are testing whether we can modulate the natural repair phenotype of Schwann cells to accelerate the nerve regenerative process.
Current research efforts are centered on characterizing how these receptor systems work in tandem to regulate the kinetics of axonal regrowth. By utilizing both in vitro 3D biomimetic environments and in vivo murine models, we are quantifying how targeted genetic modification of these glial receptors can prevent the permanent muscle atrophy and sensory loss that often follow severe nerve trauma. Ultimately, the Lee lab seeks to establish a new therapeutic paradigm where the speed of biological repair outruns the window of irreversible tissue loss.
Selected Publications
Lee JC, Trott S, Wax MK. Novel approaches in peripheral nerve repair: a review of current and emerging therapies. Plast Aesthet Res. 2025;12:2. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2347-9264.2024.122
Lee JC, Nallani R, Cass L, Bhalla V, Chiu AG, Villwock JA. A Systematic Review of the
Neuropathologic Findings of Post-Viral Olfactory Dysfunction: Implications and Novel Insight for the COVID-19 Pandemic. Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2021 May;35(3):323-333. doi: 10.1177/1945892420957853. Epub 2020 Sep 11. PMID: 32915650.
Lee JC, Wang P and Tsien JZ (2016). Dopamine Rebound-Excitation Theory: Putting Brakes on
PTSD. Front. Psychiatry 7:163. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00163
Xie K*, Fox GE*, Liu J*, Lyu C*, Lee JC*, Kuang H, Jacobs S, Li M, Liu T, Song S, Tsien JZ. Brain Computation Is Organized via Power-of-Two-Based Permutation Logic. Front Syst Neurosci. 2016 Nov
15;10:95. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00095. PMID: 27895562; PMCID: PMC5108790.