Research Areas

Dr. Guo’s aims to investigate the pathological features and evolutionary patterns of AD, especially during the asymptomatic stage of AD. Our main research interests are as follows: 1) early diagnosis of AD using PET imaging, and biofluid markers; 2) validation of clinical research findings using AD brain organoids and AD rodents; 3) novel AD theragnostic techniques development such as ultrasound stimulation and imaging-based in-vitro assay techniques. Using such biomarkers detection, multimodal molecular imaging, and biochemical methods, we are engaged in exploring novel approaches of early diagnosis and intervention of AD. The ultimate goal is to detect this disease as early as possible and provide novel insights into the early diagnosis and prevention of AD.

Highlights

Dr. Guo has been using PET imaging and CSF biomarkers to investigate: 1)the spatial pattern of Aβ accumulation over the spectrum of AD; 2) the early detection of abnormal Aβ deposition in cognitively healthy elderly adults; 3) the abnormal sequence of CSF biomarkers and PET imaging in AD; and 4) the temporal dynamics of Aβ, tau and neurodegeneration, and their relation to subsequent cognitive decline in early and moderate stages of AD. These works have been published in top-ranked journals in the field of neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2018, 2022)、Biological Psychiatry (2021)、Annals of Neurology (2022)、Neurology (2020a, 2020b)、Journal of Nuclear Medicine (2017)、Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy (2020, 2021)、Translational Psychiatry (2022) with Dr. Guo as the first author or unique corresponding author. These findings provide important insights for understanding the temporal dynamics of Aβ, tau, and neurodegeneration biomarkers as well as how they interact to produce cognitive decline in AD, and also how to detect abnormal brain changes of AD as early as possible. 

Key finding one: Spatiotemporal patterns of Aβ plaques and tau tangles in differet stages of AD.

Key finding two: Longitudinal Cognitive and Biomarker Measurements Support a Unidirectional Pathway in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathophysiology.

Key finding two: An approximative order of different CSF and imaging biomarkers in the AD continuum.

Honors

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• • Guangdong Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars (2022)

• • Shenzhen Overseas High-Caliber Personnel (2021)

• • International Alzheimer’s Association ISTAART “PIA to Elevate Early Career Researchers (PEERs)”, Asia lead (2021~present)

• • American Alzheimer’s Association “Young Investigator” Honorable Mention Award (2020)

• • Human amyloid imaging “Young Investigator Travel Scholarship” (2020)

• • Alavi-Mandell Publication Award, Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) (2018)

• • PhD Scholarship of Alzheimer Forschung Initiative and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (2014~2018)

Selected Publications

1. 1. Guoyu Lan, Anqi Li, Zhen Liu, Shaohua Ma, Tengfei Guo*. “Presynaptic membrane protein dysfunction occurs prior to neurodegeneration and predicts faster cognitive decline”, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2022 (DOI: 10.1002/alz.12890) (独立通讯作者).

2. 2. Guoyu Lan, Yue Cai, Anqi Li, Zhen Liu, Shaohua Ma, Tengfei Guo*. “Association of presynaptic loss with Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline”, Annals of Neurology, 2022, 92(6), 1001-1015 (独立通讯作者).

3. 3. Tengfei Guo*, Deniz Korman, Suzanne L. Baker, Susan M. Landau, William J. Jagust, “Longitudinal cognitive and biomarker measurements support a unidirectional pathway in Alzheimer’s Disease pathophysiology”. Biological psychiatry, 2021, 89 (8), 786-794(第一作者兼通讯作者).

4. 4. Tengfei Guo*, Leslie M. Shaw, John Q. Trojanowski William J. Jagust, Susan M. Landau, “Association of CSF Aβ, amyloid PET and cognition in cognitively unimpaired elderly adults”, Neurology, 2020, 95(15): e2075-e2085(第一作者兼通讯作者).

5. 5. Tengfei Guo*, Susan M. Landau, William J. Jagust, “Detecting earlier stages of amyloid deposition using PET in cognitively normal elderly adults”. Neurology, 2020, 94 (14): e1512-e1524(第一作者兼通讯作者).

6. 6. Tengfei Guo*, Juergen Dukart, Matthias Brendel, Axel Rominger, Timo Grimmer, Igor Yakushev, “Rate of β-amyloid accumulation varies with baseline amyloid burden: Implications for anti-amyloid drug trials”. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2018, 14(11): 1387-1396(第一作者兼通讯作者).

7. 7. Tengfei Guo#, Matthias Brendel#, Timo Grimmer, Axel Rominger, Igor Yakushev*, “Prediction of regional beta-amyloid accumulation by baseline amyloid PET in Alzheimer’s disease”, Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 2017, 58(4): 639-645(第一作者).