Microglia Researcher Bo Peng Speaks at Changping Laboratory on Microglial Turnover and Replacement
2025-12-19
Professor Bo Peng of Fudan University delivered a talk at Changping Laboratory on December 17, 2025, on the renewal mechanisms of microglia and new therapeutic approaches for neurological diseases. The seminar, titled "Microglial Turnover and Replacement: From Basic Research to Clinical Treatment," was hosted by Lead Scientist Yunlong Cao.
About the Speaker
Bo Peng is a Distinguished Professor and Changjiang Scholar at Fudan University, and Assistant Dean of the Institute for Translational Brain Research. The Peng Lab focuses on microglia in the central nervous system (CNS), systematically elucidating the mechanisms of their turnover — encompassing aging, death, and regeneration. Building on this work, Professor Peng proposed microglial replacement as a novel strategy for treating neurological diseases, and his team was the first in the world to achieve highly efficient microglial replacement, opening new avenues for treatment. His team further conducted the first clinical treatment using microglial replacement globally, demonstrating its effectiveness.
Why It Matters
Microglia are key immune cells in the central nervous system, and their homeostatic maintenance is closely linked to CNS health. However, allogeneic cell replacement therapies have been limited by low efficiency. Investigating the origins of microglial renewal and developing efficient cell replacement strategies are therefore of significant importance for treating related diseases.
What He Talked About
Professor Peng structured his talk around the full "life cycle" of microglia — their birth, aging, disease, and death — elucidating their turnover mechanisms and presenting new therapeutic approaches for neurological diseases developed from this understanding.
Turnover mechanisms and aging. Using genetic lineage tracing models, the Peng team confirmed that regenerated microglia originate from the proliferation of a small fraction (less than 1%) of surviving microglia. They discovered that microglia possess a continuous regenerative capacity, and that newly generated microglia are functionally identical to normal microglia. The team also investigated the function of aging microglia, confirming that senescent microglia cause cognitive decline, and discovered sex-based differences in microglial aging in mice.
Clinical translation and replacement strategies. Based on their understanding of microglial turnover mechanisms, the Peng team was the first to develop highly efficient microglial replacement strategies, providing multiple options for complex clinical scenarios. They also conducted the first-of-its-kind clinical treatment using microglial replacement in humans, and demonstrated its effectiveness in CSF1R-related microgliopathy (CAMP), a fatal neurological disease for which no cure currently exists. This approach opens a new pathway for treating microglia-related CNS diseases.
Q&A
The seminar drew scientists, researchers, and students working in brain science, neurodegenerative disease, and artificial intelligence and frontier technologies. In the discussion that followed, Professor Peng and the audience explored topics including the origins of microglia, and the plasticity, safety, and potential expansion of applications of microglial replacement.
The Changping Laboratory Academic Seminar Series brings leading scientists from China and abroad to the Laboratory for focused talks on topics at the frontier of life science research. The series provides a high-level platform for regular academic exchange, supporting the Laboratory's effort to build a world-class hub for life science innovation.