Dawen Cai, PhD
Associate Professor
Cell & Developmental Biology
NCRC B25-1688, 2800 Plymouth Rd.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
[email protected]

Available to mentor
Dawen Cai, PhD
Associate Professor
  • Qualifications
  • Center Memberships
  • Research Overview
  • Links
  • Recent Publications
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    Qualifications
    • Research Scientist
      University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Physics, 2013
    • Postdoctoral Fellow
      Harvard University, Center for Brain Science, 2011
    • PhD
      University of Michigan, 2007
    • BS
      Peking University, 2000
    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Global REACH
    Research Overview

    The Cai Laboratory develops and uses interdisciplinary techniques to study the development and functional-structural relationship of neural circuits in the Drosophila and mouse brains. We currently focus on: 1) Developing novel genetic, imaging, and computational tools for neural circuit tracing at the whole-brain scale with synapse resolution. 2) Identifying neural circuit "motifs" that specify brain functions. 3) Depicting molecular, neuronal, and circuitry mechanisms that contribute to neuron fate determination and Autism.

    Links
    • Cai Lab
    • Neurons Can Fly outreach program
    • twitter
    Recent Publications See All Publications
    • Preprint
      A parallelly distributed microscope and software system for scalable high-throughput multispectral 3D imaging
      Jiang H, Walker LA, Li Y, Duan B, Niu X, Hsieh J-C, Yin P, Cheng M-C, Su H, Sheng K, Tang JP, Athukorala K, Greene S, Pan R, Parlapalli A, Cui M, Cai D. 2025 Jun 6; bioRxiv, DOI:10.1101/2025.05.31.657163
    • Preprint
      Axonal injury signaling is restrained by a spared synaptic branch
      Smithson LJ, Zang J, Junginger L, Waller TJ, Jankowiak R, Khan S, Li Y, Cai D, Collins CA. 2025 May 27; eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, DOI:10.7554/elife.104896
    • Preprint
      Axonal injury signaling is restrained by a spared synaptic branch
      Smithson LJ, Zang J, Junginger L, Waller TJ, Jankowiak R, Khan S, Li Y, Cai D, Collins CA. 2025 May 27; eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, DOI:10.7554/elife.104896.2
    • Preprint
      A method for efficient, rapid, and minimally invasive implantation of individual non-functional motes with penetrating subcellular-diameter carbon fiber electrodes into rat cortex.
      Letner JG, Lam JLW, Copenhaver MG, Barrow M, Patel PR, Richie JM, Lee J, Kim H-S, Cai D, Weiland JD, Phillips J, Blaauw D, Chestek CA. 2025 Feb 8; DOI:10.1101/2025.02.05.636655
      PMID: 39974888
    • Proceeding / Abstract / Poster
      Online Multispectral Neuron Tracing
      Duan B, Shang Y, Cai D, Yan Y. Proceedings International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging, 2025 Jan 1; DOI:10.1109/ISBI60581.2025.10981059
    • Preprint
      Axonal injury signaling is restrained by a spared synaptic branch
      Smithson LJ, Zang J, Junginger L, Waller TJ, Reilly-Jankowiak L, Khan S, Li Y, Cai D, Collins CA. 2025 May 23; eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, DOI:10.7554/elife.104896.1
    • Journal Article
      Exosomes define a local and systemic communication network in healthy pancreas and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
      Adem B, Bastos N, Ruivo CF, Sousa-Alves S, Dias C, Vieira PF, Batista IA, Cavadas B, Saur D, Machado JC, Cai D, Melo SA. Nature Communications, 2024 Dec 1; 15 (1): DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-45753-7
      PMID: 38383468
    • Preprint
      Axonal injury signaling is restrained by a spared synaptic branch
      Smithson LJ, Zang J, Junginger L, Waller TJ, Jankowiak R, Khan S, Li Y, Cai D, Collins CA. 2024 Nov 11; bioRxiv, DOI:10.1101/2024.11.07.622420