Jiasui Yu completed his bachelor’s degree in traditional Chinese pharmaceutics at Guangdong Pharmaceutical University in 2019 and his Master of Medical Sciences at The University of Hong Kong in 2020. He is keen on unmasking the underlying mechanisms of physical activity-induced hippocampal plasticity in animal models of psychiatric disorders. In psychiatric disorders such as depression or autism, emotion regulation is disrupted, possibly partly by disrupted synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. Therefore, it is worth studying novel pharmaceutical targets for ameliorating such devastating psychiatric disorders. His current research project investigates the potential role of apelin, an exercise-induced myokine, in mediating the antidepressant effects of physical exercise via promoting hippocampal neuroplasticity. The proposed study is innovative and will provide evidence that apelin could be a novel exercise-mimetic antidepressant treatment for the depressed population. RS has an excellent team of faculty members performing cutting-edge research and is equipped with advanced research equipment. Jiasui is confident that RS can provide professional supervision to drive his study and success in this field.
