Dr Xin Huang
PhD
Biography
Dr Xin Huang is a research officer of the Neurodegeneration and Neuropathology Group at The Florey. After receiving his undergraduate and masters degrees in medicine, he came to Australia to do research on obesity and neurotransmitter pathways at Wollongong University and Sydney University, successively. After obtaining a doctorate degree in 2008, he worked in the ANZAC Research Institute of the University of Sydney, engaged in research on macro-nutrition and geriatric diseases, and published important results in journals of Obesity and Cell Metabolism.
In 2013, he moved to Melbourne to join the Innate Immunity Laboratory at The Florey and worked with Dr Ben Gu to study the role of innate phagocytosis in multiple sclerosis, age-related macular disease and Alzheimer’s disease. His research led to the discovery of the leukocyte surface biomarkers for detecting preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, which has a major impact on clinical practice by allowing primary care physicians to identify individuals at high risk of having Alzheimer’s disease with a simple blood test. This important work has been published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia journal.
Career highlights
Current roles
- Research Officer at The Florey
- Editorial Board Member, Journal of Health Care Science
Awards and achievements
- 2023 – Research grant: Targeting the brain-draining lymphatics to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease, BrightFocus Foundation Standard Award Program in Alzheimer’s Disease Research (Co-investigator, Grant ID: 23AARF-1020292)
- 2022 – Research grant: Developing a novel approach for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, Grant-in-aid of Medical Research of the Brain Australia (Co-investigator, Grant ID: BA23-MYL)
- 2021 – International patent: Compositions, kits, and methods for detecting preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (CIA, Thrive IP Ref.: 1463.0002-P1, USA)
- 2019 – Research grant: A cost-effective blood test for diagnosis and prognosis of Alzheimer’s disease, Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation (CIA, Grant ID: 1901)
