Why do some brain cells remain resilient while others become vulnerable in disease?
The Kim Group studies the regulatory principles that govern cellular identity, adaptation, and vulnerability in the brain. Our research seeks to understand how gene regulatory networks, metabolic programs, and environmental signals shape the dynamic states of neurons and glia across development, ageing, and neurodegeneration.
By integrating single-cell genomics, spatial molecular imaging, and experimental perturbation in mouse models, we aim to uncover the molecular mechanisms that determine how brain cells maintain stability or fail under physiological and pathological stress.
Research Themes
Microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, play a critical role in determining whether neural circuits remain stable or deteriorate during ageing and Alzheimer’s disease. We investigate how metabolic rewiring, lipid handling, and inflammatory signaling shape microglial states during disease progression. Our goal is to identify molecular pathways that regulate immune responses and contribute to neuronal vulnerability.
The hypothalamus regulates fundamental physiological and behavioral processes, including metabolism, stress responses, and energy balance. We study how transcriptional and chromatin regulatory networks guide hypothalamic cell fate specification during development and how these early programs influence cellular resilience later in life.
Approaches
Our work combines large-scale single-cell and multi-omic analysis, spatial RNA imaging, and functional genetic perturbation to map and experimentally test cellular state transitions within intact brain circuits.
Collaboration
We welcome collaborations across neuroscience, genomics, metabolism, and computational biology.
