Welcome to the Cao Lab
Welcome to the Cao Laboratory of Chronobiology & Medical Neuroscience
Welcome to visit our lab website! We are a newly established laboratory of neuroscience and chronobiology located at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of Rutgers University. We are interested in the molecular mechanisms of the brain’s biological clocks and how clock dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders including autism and depression. Trainees will work with genetically modified mouse models and utilize a combination of molecular, cellular, and behavioral approaches.
The lab has an excellent track record of training the next generation of scientists. Former trainees in the lab successfully published in prestigious journals such as PNAS, Neuron, and Molecular Psychiatry.
Rutgers University is among the top 15 public universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report 2024.
The campus is located at the center of the Northeast corridor, with access to New York City, Philadelphia, and the New Jersey shore within an hour’s drive. The region is home to world-class universities, numerous pharmaceutical and biotech research facilities, and corporate headquarters. Piscataway and the surrounding areas in Central New Jersey offer vibrant and diverse cultural activities, excellent public and private schools, and opportunities to live in urban, suburban, or small-town settings within a short distance of campus.
We constantly look for talented and motivated undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers to join us.
Current Members
Prinicipal Investigator
Ruifeng (Ray) Cao, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology
X Profile
Dr. Cao received his MD in clinical medicine specializing in neurosurgery from the Fourth Military Medical University in Xi’an, China. He later received his PhD in molecular and cellular neuroscience from Ohio State University. Dr. Cao has worked on the mammalian brain circadian clock since he was a graduate student in Dr. Karl Obrietan’s laboratory.
He first discovered the mTOR pathway in the SCN circadian clock that is regulated by light at night and circadian clock. As a postdoctoral fellow at HHMI and McGill University with Drs. Nahum Sonenberg and Shimon Amir at McGill University, Dr. Cao studied mRNA translation control mechanisms in the circadian clock. He found the mTORC1/4E-BP pathway regulates the Vip mRNA translation and SCN neuronal synchrony. He also found that phosphorylation of the cap-binding protein eIF4E facilitates the mRNA translation of Per1 and Per2.
Dr. Cao worked as an assistant professor and an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School from 2016 to 2023. His lab first identified the integrated stress response centered on the eIF2 signaling in the SCN circadian clock. In collaboration, his lab also established mTOR as a ubiquitous circadian regulator of central and peripheral circadian clocks. Recently, his lab characterized the Bmal1 mutant mice as novel mouse models of autism spectrum disorders, establishing a link between circadian dysfunction and autism. He is currently a tenured associate professor of neuroscience and chronobiology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University.
PostDocs
Hao Lin, PhD
hao.lin2022@rutgers.edu
I am a postdoctoral fellow in Cao’s lab. I obtained my PhD from China Agricultural University in Beijing, China. My research focuses on to unraveling the basic mechanism of mTOR signaling pathway in regulating the circadian rhythm in mammals and related neuropsychiatric disorders.
Michael Oraebosi, PhD
MO687@rwjms.rutgers.edu
I was fascinated by circadian rhythm research during my MSc in pharmacology and continued the same line of research for my PhD in pharmacology, both at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria. My research in chronopharmacology explores the use of biological clocks in drug delivery as a disease mitigation strategy.
Visiting Scholar
Ismaheel Adeniyi, MS
I have been fascinated by the concept of jet lag due to the disruption of the circadian rhythm since my undergraduate studies. During my graduate study, I learned about how the disruption of circadian rhythms leads to derangement in molecular pathways responsible for myriad physiological functions.
As a visiting researcher in Dr. Cao’s lab, I am enthusiastic about investigating molecular pathways responsible for the neuropsychiatric behaviors observed following circadian rhythm disruption.
Undergraduates
David Ayob
DAA219@rutgers.edu
I am an undergraduate majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience. In Dr. Cao's lab, I am deeply committed to working as part of the team to advance our understanding of circadian rhythms and their role in neuropsychiatric disorders. I also dedicate time to serving my community as a Hospital and EMT Volunteer, an experience that enriches my life and echoes the ethos of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Isabella Ivankovic
ili3@scarletmail.rutgers.edu
I am currently a Cell Biology and Neuroscience major in the Rutgers University Honors College class of 2026. In the Cao Lab, I'm excited to learn about the underlying mechanisms behind the regulation of circadian rhythms and their relationship to the pathogenesis of diseases like autism and depression. Outside of the lab, I enjoy baking, painting, and working as a volunteer at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
Ian Waynor
iww7@rwjms.rutgers.edu
I am an exercise science major interested in learning about circadian rhythm and how it affects athletic performance. I serve as the president of the Rutgers Muscle building club which aims to spread the joys of lifting weights. My ultimate passion is becoming a dance master and my other hobbies are playing violin and rock climbing.
Allyson Fu
af939@scarletmail.rutgers.edu
I am an undergraduate student studying computer science and biology at Rutgers University. At the intersection of my studies, I am passionate about applying computational methods to explore biological processes, and I hope to learn more about the influence of clock dysfunction on psychiatric disorders in the Cao Lab. In my free time, I love to dance and choreograph for Rutgers Performing Dance Company.
Cao Lab Alumni
Accordion Content
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Postdocs
- 2021-2023 Abhishek Mishra, Ph.D.
- 2022-2023 Mahammad Naveed, Ph.D., Pharm.D.
- 2021-2021 Qiang Feng, Ph.D.
- 2017-2021 Dong Liu, M.D., Ph.D.
- 2017-2019 Salil Pathak, Ph.D.
- 2016-2017 Karthikeyan Ramanujam, Ph.D.
- 2016-2017 Sanaz Nasoohi, Ph.D.
Visiting Scholars
- 2021-2022 Rubal Singla, M.S.
- 2019-2021 Xiaotong Yang, M.S.
- 2018-2019 Jin Li, M.S.
Graduate Students
- 2020-2022 Ethan Lorsung
Technicians
- 2020-2023 Nam Le
- 2016-2016 Cole Fisher
Undergraduates
- 2022-2023 Kenzie Fernholz, University of Minnesota Duluth
- 2022-2023 Aidan Hansen, University of Minnesota Duluth
- 2021-2022 Su Tin, University of Minnesota Duluth
- 2017-2018 Makenzie Morgen, University of Minnesota Duluth
- 2017-2018 Mengmeng Tian, University of Minnesota Duluth
Selected Publications
* Indicates trainees from the Cao Lab
1. Naveed M*, Chao OY, Hill JW, Yang YM, Huston JP, Cao R. Circadian neurogenetics and its implications in neurophysiology, behavior, and chronomedicine. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2024 Feb;157:105523. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105523. PMID: 38142983
2. Singla R*, Mishra A*, Cao R (2022). The crosstalk between mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling and the circadian clock and its implications in psychiatric disorders. Transl Psychiatry, 12(1):355. doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-02120-8. PMID: 36045116.
3. Liu D*, Nanclares C, Simbriger C, Fang K, Lorsung E*, Amorim IS, Chalkiadaki K, Pathak SS*, Li J*, Gewirtz JC, Jin VX, Kofuji P, Araque A, Orr HT, Gkogkas CG, Cao R (2022). Autistic-like behavior and cerebellar dysfunction in Bmal1 mutant mice ameliorated by mTORC1 inhibition. Mol Psychiatry, doi: 10.1038/s41380-022-01499-6. PMID: 35301425
4. Pathak SS*, Liu D*, Li T, de Zavalia N, Zhu L, Li J*, Karthikeyan R*, Alain T, Liu AC, Storch KF, Kaufman RJ, Jin VX, Amir S, Sonenberg N, Cao R (2019). The eIF2α Kinase GCN2 Modulates Period and Rhythmicity of the Circadian Clock by Translational Control of Atf4. Neuron,104(4):724-735. PMID: 31522764
5. *Liu D, Stowie A, de Zavalia N, Leise T, Pathak SS*, Drewes LR, Davidson AJ, Amir S, Sonenberg N, Cao R (2018). mTOR signaling in VIP neurons regulates circadian clock synchrony and olfaction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A,115(14): E3296-E3304.PMID: 29555746
6. Cao R, Gkogkas C, de Zavalia N, Blum ID, Yanagiya A, Tsukumo Y, Xu H, Storch KF, Liu AC, Amir S, Sonenberg N (2015). Light-regulated translational control of circadian behavior by eIF4E phosphorylation. Nat Neurosci, 18(6):855-62. PMID: 25915475
7. Cao R, Robinson B, Xu H, Gkogkas C, Khoutorsky A, Alain T, Yanagiya A, Nevarko T, Liu AC, Amir S, Sonenberg N (2013). Translational control of entrainment and synchrony of the suprachiasmatic circadian clock by mTOR/4E-BP1 signaling. Neuron, 79(4):712-724. PMID: 23972597
8. Cao R, Li A, Cho HY, Lee B, Obrietan K (2010). mammalian target of rapamycin signaling modulates photic entrainment of the suprachiasmatic circadian clock. J Neurosci, 30(18): 6302-6314. PMID: 20445056Publications:
Our Findings
1. Understanding translational control mechanisms in the mammalian circadian clock: We found that the translation control mechanisms by the evolutionarily conserved mTOR and eIF2 signaling pathways are important for the function of central and peripheral circadian clocks. The delineated signaling mechanisms provide potential novel molecular targets for therapeutic intervention of the body clock function.
2. Identifying a role for circadian clock dysfunction in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD): We found that chronic disruption of mouse circadian rhythms by light during neurodevelopment leads to autistic-like phenotypes in adulthood. We also found that deletion of the essential clock gene Bmal1 leads to significant autistic-like phenotypes associated with cerebellar mTORC1 hyperactivation.
3. Defining physiological functions of mTOR in the brain: We found diverse mTOR functions in neurophysiology. mTOR signaling is critical for regulating circadian rhythms, olfaction, and sleep.
Photos of Our Team
Information
We constantly look for talented and motivated undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers to join us. Please contact us for more information if you would like to join our lab.
Ruifeng (Ray) Cao, MD, PhD
Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Research Tower, Room 349
675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Phone: (732) 235 4071
Email: ruifeng.cao@rutgers.edu
Lab: Research Tower, Room 308,335