Chenghua Gu profile picture

Chenghua Gu, Ph.D.

Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Gu Lab Website

Chenghua Gu - Faculty Profile

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Title: Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Aim

The Gu Lab studies how blood vessels in the brain regulate blood flow and support and protect brain function.

The Impact

We study how blood vessels respond to changes in brain activity and communicate with the immune system to protect the brain. Brain vasculature is a key mediator of brain function, and also serves as a gateway to deliver medicines to the brain. Knowing how the brain’s vasculature works can help identify new ways to deliver medicine to the brain, potentially slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease or preventing infection and stroke.

A Closer Look

Article: How the Brain Increases Blood Flow on Demand (Harvard Medical School, July 2025). Harvard Medical School news article on Gu lab research showing how brain blood vessels use rapid electrical signals to boost blood flow to active regions.

Article: Right Place, Right Time (Harvard Medical School, February 2020). Harvard Medical School news article about Gu lab research uncovering how specialized brain arteries detect nearby neural activity and rapidly increase local blood flow, revealing a key mechanism of neurovascular coupling that links brain function to circulation.

Contact

Email: chenghua_gu@hms.harvard.edu
Lab website: gu.hms.harvard.edu

Publications View
Brain endothelial gap junction coupling enables rapid vasodilation propagation during neurovascular coupling.
Authors: Authors: Krolak T, Kaplan L, Navas K, Chen L, Birmingham A, Ryvkin D, Izsa V, Powell M, Wu Z, Deverman BE, Gu C.
Cell
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Characteristics of blood-brain barrier heterogeneity between brain regions revealed by profiling vascular and perivascular cells.
Authors: Authors: Pfau SJ, Langen UH, Fisher TM, Prakash I, Nagpurwala F, Lozoya RA, Lee WA, Wu Z, Gu C.
Nat Neurosci
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The Blood-Brain Barrier: Composition, Properties, and Roles in Brain Health.
Authors:
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol
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Pericyte-to-endothelial cell signaling via vitronectin-integrin regulates blood-CNS barrier.
Authors: Authors: Ayloo S, Lazo CG, Sun S, Zhang W, Cui B, Gu C.
Neuron
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Neuronal regulation of the blood-brain barrier and neurovascular coupling.
Authors: Authors: Kaplan L, Chow BW, Gu C.
Nat Rev Neurosci
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Caveolae in CNS arterioles mediate neurovascular coupling.
Authors: Authors: Chow BW, Nuñez V, Kaplan L, Granger AJ, Bistrong K, Zucker HL, Kumar P, Sabatini BL, Gu C.
Nature
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Development and Cell Biology of the Blood-Brain Barrier.
Authors: Authors: Langen UH, Ayloo S, Gu C.
Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol
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Transcytosis at the blood-brain barrier.
Authors: Authors: Ayloo S, Gu C.
Curr Opin Neurobiol
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Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability Is Regulated by Lipid Transport-Dependent Suppression of Caveolae-Mediated Transcytosis.
Authors: Authors: Andreone BJ, Chow BW, Tata A, Lacoste B, Ben-Zvi A, Bullock K, Deik AA, Ginty DD, Clish CB, Gu C.
Neuron
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Gradual Suppression of Transcytosis Governs Functional Blood-Retinal Barrier Formation.
Authors: Authors: Chow BW, Gu C.
Neuron
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