Email

xmeng@bcm.edu

Positions

Assistant Professor

Pediatrics-Neurology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Investigator

Texas Children's Hospital
Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute
HOUSTON, TX

Addresses

Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Office)

1250 Moursund St.
Room: DNRI-1265.16
Houston, TX 77030
United States

Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Lab)

1250 Moursund St.
Room: DNRI-1265.16
Houston, TX 77030
United States

Education

PhD from Baylor College of Medicine

10/2018 - Houston, Texas United States

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Stanford University

05/2025 - Stanford, California United States

BS from Peking University

07/2011 - Beijing, China

Professional Statement

My long-term interest focuses on uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying neurological disorders, including autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases. These conditions are highly prevalent, posing significant challenges for both patients and their families. A major obstacle in advancing our understanding of these disorders has been the limited access to intact and functional human brain tissue for detailed investigation. The recently developed brain organoids, which recapitulates key features of early human brain development, provide the opportunity to model neurological disorders in a human context.

My lab’s research is centered around three core objectives: (1) to investigate how gene regulation contributes to human-specific brain traits; (2) to identify novel pathogenic mechanisms underlying neurological disorders; and (3) to develop gene-targeted therapeutic strategies. Through this interdisciplinary approach, we aim to advance both our fundamental understanding of human brain development and the translational potential of precision therapies.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Xiaoyu Chen, Fikri Birey, Min-Yin Li, Omer Revah, Rebecca Levy, Mayuri Vijay Thete, Noah Reis, Konstantin Kaganovsky, Massimo Onesto, Noriaki Sakai, Zuzana Hudacova, Jin Hao, Xiangling Meng, Seiji Nishino, John Huguenard, Sergiu P Pașca "Antisense oligonucleotide therapeutic approach for Timothy syndrome." Nature 628(8009):818-825. 2024; Pubmed PMID: 38658687
• Xiangling Meng , David Yao, Kent Imaizumi1, Xiaoyu Chen, Kevin W. Kelley, Noah Reis1, Mayuri Vijay Thete, Arpana Arjun McKinney, Shravanti Kulkarni, Georgia Panagiotakos, Michael C. Bassik & Sergiu P. Pașca "Assembloid CRISPR screens reveal impact of disease genes in human neurodevelopment." Nature volume 622, pages 359–366. 2023; Pubmed PMID: 37758944
• Xiangling Meng, Wei Wang, Hui Lu, Ling-jie He, Wu Chen, Eugene Chao, Marta L. Fiorotto, Bin Tang, Jose A. Herrera, Michelle L. Seymour, Jeffrey L. Neul, Fred A. Pereira, Jianrong Tang, Mingshan Xue, Huda Y. Zoghbi "Manipulations of MeCP2 in glutamatergic neurons highlight their contributions to Rett and other neurological disorders." Elife 21:5:e14199.; Pubmed PMID: 27328325
• Xiangling Meng, Christopher M McGraw, Wei Wang, Junzhan Jing, Szu-Ying Yeh, Li Wang, Joanna Lopez, Amanda M Brown, Tao Lin, Wu Chen, Mingshan Xue, Roy V Sillitoe, Xiaolong Jiang, Huda Y Zoghbi "Neurexophilin4 is a selectively expressed α-neurexin ligand that modulates specific cerebellar synapses and motor functions." Elife 16:8:e46773. 2019; Pubmed PMID: 31524598