Meifeng Xu

Associate Professor

biography

Dr. Meifeng Xu completed her M.Sc. from Suzhou Medical College, P R China and then received her Ph.D. from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, P R China. She worked as an Associate Professor and Vice Chair in the department of Pharmacology, Suzhou Medical College, P R China. She has more than 40 publications. She also served as an Assistant Professor and presently working as an Associate Professor in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati, United States.

 

Area of Interest

The research in our laboratory is focused on cell therapy to regenerate the damaged myocardium and restore cardiac function following a myocardial infarction. We use a combination of gene profiling, tissue engineering, physiological testing, and molecular imaging techniques to investigate whether the cardiac regenerative capacity of stem cells is associated with their survival, proliferation, and/or differentiation. We have obtained substantial expertise in this field, and have published our findings in peer-reviewed journals, including JACC, JMCC, Circulation, Cir Res, Stem Cell, Stem Cells and Development, AJP, and etc. We have engineered bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) carrying different genes, e.g., Wnt11, GATA-4, etc. to increase the capacity of stem cells to regenerate ischemic myocardium.


top publication

1. Yu B, Yang Y, Liu H, Gong M, Millard RW, Wang Y, Ashraf M, Xu M. Clusterin/Akt up-regulation is critical for GATA-4 mediated cytoprotection of mesenchymal stem cells against ischemia injury. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 10;11(3):e0151542. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151542. eCollection 2016. PMID: 26962868
2. Yang H, Borg TK, Ma Z, Xu M, Wetzel G, Saraf LV, Markwald R, Runyan RB, Gao BZ. Biochip-based study of unidirectional mitochondrial transfer from stem cells to myocytes via tunneling nanotubes. Biofabrication. 2016 Feb 4;8(1):015012. doi: 10.1088/1758-5090/8/1/015012. (PMID: 26844857)
3. Okada M, Kim HW, Matsu-Ura K, Wang YG, Xu M, Ashraf M. Abrogation of Age-Induced MicroRNA-195 Rejuvenates the Senescent Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Reactivating Telomerase. Stem Cells. 2015 Sep 21. doi: 10.1002/stem.2211. [Epub ahead of print] (PMID: 26390028)
4. Kang K, Ma R, Cai W, Huang W, Paul C, Liang J, Wang Y, Zhao T, Kim HW, Xu M, Millard R, Wen Z and Wang Y. Exosomes Secreted From CXCR4 Overexpressing Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promotes Cardioprotection via Akt Signaling Pathway Following Myocardial Infarction," Stem cell International. 01/2015; 2015:1-14. DOI: 10.1155/2015/659890
5. Cai WF, Kang K, Huang W, Liang JL, Feng YL, Liu GS, Chang H, Wen ZL, Paul C, Xu M, Millard RW, Wang Y. CXCR4 attenuates cardiomyocytes mitochondrial dysfunction to resist ischaemia-reperfusion injury. J Cell Mol Med. 2015 Mar 30. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.12554. [Epub ahead of print] (PMID: 25824297)
6. Yu B, Kim HW, Gong M, Wang J, Millard RW, Wang Y, Ashraf M, Xu M. Exosomes secreted from GATA-4 overexpressing mesenchymal stem cells serve as a reservoir of anti-apoptotic microRNAs for cardioprotection. International Journal of Cardiology. 2015; 182: 349-360; doi:10.1016/j.ijcard. 2014.12.043. (PMID: 25590961)
7. Wang Y, Huang W, Liang J, Wen Z, Chang D, Kang K, Wang J, Xu M, Millard RW, Wang Y. Suicide Gene-Mediated Sequencing Ablation Revealed the Potential Therapeutic Mechanism of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiovascular Cell Patch Post-Myocardial Infarction. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2014; Dec 1;21(16):2177-91. 2014; Aug 13. [Epub ahead of print] ( PMID: 24787391)
8. Liu H, Chen R, Yang H, Qin W, Borg TK, Dean D, Xu M, Gao BZ. Enzyme-etching technique to fabricate micropatterns of aligned collagen fibrils. Biotechnol Lett. 2014; 36(6):1245-52. (PMID: 24562408)
9. Gong M, Yu B, Wang Y, Xu M. Bone Marrow Rejuvenation – An Excellent Potential Therapy for Age-Related Endothelial Dysfunction. Circulation Journal, 2013;77(12):2886-8 (PMID: 24132244).
10. Ma Z, Liu Q, Yang H, Runyan RB, Eisenberg CA, Xu M, Borg TK, Markwald R, Wang Y, Gao BZ. Laser patterning for the study of MSC cardiogenic differentiation at the single-cell level. Light Sci Appl. 2013;2. pii: 68. (PMID: 24527266)
11. Yu B, Gong M, He Z, Wang Y, Millard RW, Ashraf M, Xu M. Enhanced mesenchymal stem cell survival induced by GATA-4 overexpression is partially mediated by regulation of the miR-15 family. Int J. Biochem-Cell Biology 2013; 45(12):2724-35 (PMID: 24070634).
12. Yu B, Gong M, Wang Y, Millard RW, Yang Y, Ashraf M, Xu M. Cardiomyocyte Protection by GATA-4 Gene Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells Is Partially Mediated by Translocation of miR-221 in Microvesicles. PLoS One 2013; 8: e73304. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073304 (PMID: 24015301).
13. Huang W, Dai B, Wen Z, Millard RW, Yu XY, Luther K, Xu M, Zhao TC, Yang HT, Qi Z, Lasance K, Ashraf M, Wang Y. Molecular Strategy to Reduce In Vivo Collagen Barrier Promotes Entry of NCX1 Positive Inducible Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC(NCX1+)) into Ischemic (or Injured) Myocardium. PLoS One. 2013; 8:e70023. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070023 (PMID: 23990893).
14. Ma Z, Yang H, Liu H, Xu M, Runyan RB, Eisenberg CA, Markwald RR, Borg TK, Gao BZ. Mesenchymal stem cell-cardiomyocyte interactions under defined contact modes on laser-patterned biochips. PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e56554. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056554. Epub 2013 Feb 13. (PMID: 23418583).
15. Liu H, Shao Y, Qin W, Runyan RB, Xu M, Ma Z, Borg TK, Markwald R, Gao BZ. Myosin filament assembly onto myofibrils in live neonatal cardiomyocytes observed by TPEF-SHG microscopy. Cardiovasc Res. 2013 Feb 1;97(2):262-70, (PMID: 23118131).
16. Ma Z, Liu Q, Liu H, Yang H, Yun JX, Xu M, Eisenberg CA, Borg TK, Markwald R, Gao BZ. Cardiogenic Regulation of Stem-Cell Electrical Properties in a Laser-Patterned Biochip. Cell Mol Bioeng. 2012; 5:327-336. (PMID: 23139730).
17. Ma Z, Liu Q, Liu H, Yang H, Yun JX, Eisenberg C, Borg TK, Xu M, Gao BZ. Laser-patterned stem-cell bridges in a cardiac muscle model for on-chip electrical conductivity analyses. Lab Chip. 2012; 12: 566-73, (PMID: 22170399).
18. Liang J, Huang W, Yu X, Ashraf A, Wary KK, Xu M, Millard RW, Ashraf M, Wang Y. Suicide Gene Reveals the Myocardial Neovascularization Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Overexpressing CXCR4 (MSC(CXCR4)). PLoS One. 2012;7(9):e46158, (PMID: 23029422).
19. Xu M, Millard RW, Ashraf M. Role of GATA-4 in Differentiation and Survival of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells. (Review) Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. 2012; 111:217-41 (PMID: 22917233)
20. Zuo S, Jones WK, Li H, He Z, Pasha Z, Yang Y, Wang YG, Fan GC, Ashraf M, Xu M. Paracrine Effect of Wnt11 Overexpressing Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Ischemic Injury. Stem Cells Dev. 2012; 21: 598-608, (PMID: 21463175).
21. Huang W, Wang T, Zhang D, Zhao T, Dai B, Ashraf A, Wang X, Xu M, Millard RW, Fan GC, Ashraf M, Yu XY, Wang YG. Mesenchymal Stem Cells Overexpressing CXCR4 Attenuate Remodeling of Post-myocardial Infarction by Releasing Matrix Metalloproteinase-9. Stem Cells Dev. 2012; 21:778-89, (PMID: 21671800).
22. He Z, Li H, Zuo S, Pasha Z, Wang Y, Yang Y, Jiang W, Ashraf M, Xu M. Transduction of Wnt11 Promotes Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transdifferentiation into Cardiac Phenotypes. Stem Cells Dev. 2011, 20: 1771-8, (PMID: 21231807).