Chuanhai Cao, Ph.D.

Contact Info

• 12901 Bruce B Downs Blvd
  Tampa FL 33612
• Academic Email: ccao@usf.edu
• Academic Phone: (813) 396-0742
• View My C.V.

Education

Academic Philosophy

Interdisciplinary and Emerging Signature Programs

• Allergy, Immunology & Infectious Disease
• Biomedical Engineering & Nanomedicine
• Neurodegenerative Disease
• Neuroscience

Research Interests

• Major research focus is to study the role of immune system in disease development and find a cure to treat diseases through immune modulation approach including vaccination and natural product. I am currently working on vaccine for Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Recent Publications

• Olcese JM, Cao C, Mori T, Mamcarz MB, Maxwell A, Runfeldt MJ, Wang L, Zhang C, Lin X, Zhang G, Arendash GW. Protection against cognitive deficits and markers of neurodegeneration by long-term oral administration of melatonin in a transgenic model of Alzheimer disease. Journal of pineal research. 47(1) : 82-96, 2009.
• Cao C, Cirrito JR, Lin X, Wang L, Wang L, Verges DK, Dickson A, Mamcarz M, Zhang C, Mori T, Arendash GW, Holtzman DM, Potter H. Caffeine suppresses amyloid-beta levels in plasma and brain of Alzheimer''s disease transgenic mice. Journal of Alzheimer''s disease : JAD. 17(3) : 681-97, 2009.
• Sanchez-Ramos J, Song S, Cao C, Arendash G. The potential of hematopoietic growth factors for treatment of Alzheimer''s disease: a mini-review. BMC neuroscience. 9 Suppl 2: S3, 2008.
• Cao C, Lin X, Zhang C, Wahi MM, Wefes I, Arendash G, Potter H. Mutant amyloid-beta-sensitized dendritic cells as Alzheimer''s disease vaccine. Journal of neuroimmunology. 200(1-2) : 1-10, 2008.
• Cao C, Lin X, Wahi MM, Jackson EA, Potter H. Successful adjuvant-free vaccination of BALB/c mice with mutated amyloid beta peptides. BMC neuroscience. 9: 25, 2008.
• Lin D, Wu Q, Lin X, Borlongan CV, He ZX, Tan J, Cao C, Zhou SF. Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Signaling Pathway: Modulation by Acupuncture in Telomerase Knockout Mice. Alternative therapies in health and medicine. 21(6) : 36-46
• Song S, Kong X, Sava V, Cao C, Acosta S, Borlongan C, Sanchez-Ramos J. Transient Micro-needle Insertion into Hippocampus Triggers Neurogenesis and Decreases Amyloid Burden in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer''s Disease. Cell transplantation. , 2016.
• Lin L, Skakavac N, Lin X, Lin D, Borlongan MC, Borlongan CV, Cao C. Acupuncture-Induced Analgesia: The Role of Microglial Inhibition. Cell transplantation. 25(4) : 621-8, 2016.
• Hao Y, Bai G, Wang J, Zhao L, Sutherland K, Cai J, Cao C. Identifiable biomarker and treatment development using HIV-1 long term non-progressor sera. BMC immunology. 16: 25, 2015.
• Ugen KE, Lin X, Bai G, Liang Z, Cai J, Li K, Song S, Cao C, Sanchez-Ramos J. Evaluation of an α synuclein sensitized dendritic cell based vaccine in a transgenic mouse model of Parkinson disease. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics. 11(4) : 922-30, 2015.
• Shahaduzzaman M, Nash K, Hudson C, Sharif M, Grimmig B, Lin X, Bai G, Liu H, Ugen KE, Cao C, Bickford PC. Anti-human α-synuclein N-terminal peptide antibody protects against dopaminergic cell death and ameliorates behavioral deficits in an AAV-α-synuclein rat model of Parkinson''s disease. PloS one. 10(2) : e0116841, 2015.
• Chu L, Zhao H, Fang J, Li C, Liu Z, Cui R, Hu F, Zhang X, Chen Y, Han H, Cao C, Xu Q. The traditional Chinese medicinal formula BDL301 suppresses tumor growth by inhibiting STAT3 pathway and inducing apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. DNA and cell biology. 34(3) : 178-88, 2015.
• Zhang LF, Zhou ZW, Wang ZH, Du YH, He ZX, Cao C, Zhou SF. Coffee and caffeine potentiate the antiamyloidogenic activity of melatonin via inhibition of Aβ oligomerization and modulation of the Tau-mediated pathway in N2a/APP cells. Drug design, development and therapy. 9: 241-72, 2015.
• Cheng J, Zhou ZW, Sheng HP, He LJ, Fan XW, He ZX, Sun T, Zhang X, Zhao RJ, Gu L, Cao C, Zhou SF. An evidence-based update on the pharmacological activities and possible molecular targets of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides. Drug design, development and therapy. 9: 33-78, 2015.
• Citron BA, Saykally JN, Cao C, Dennis JS, Runfeldt M, Arendash GW. Transcription factor Sp1 inhibition, memory, and cytokines in a mouse model of Alzheimer''s disease. American journal of neurodegenerative disease. 4(2) : 40-8, 2015.
• Cheng J, Lin X, Morgan D, Gordon M, Chen X, Wang ZH, Li HN, He LJ, Zhou SF, Cao C. Dendritic and Langerhans cells respond to Aβ peptides differently: implication for AD immunotherapy. Oncotarget. 6(34) : 35443-57, 2015.
• Li Y, Wu H, Teng P, Bai G, Lin X, Zuo X, Cao C, Cai J. Helical Antimicrobial Sulfono-γ-AApeptides. Journal of medicinal chemistry. 58(11) : 4802-11, 2015.
• Lin D, De La Pena I, Lin L, Zhou SF, Borlongan CV, Cao C. The neuroprotective role of acupuncture and activation of the BDNF signaling pathway. International journal of molecular sciences. 15(2) : 3234-52, 2014.
• Padhee S, Smith C, Wu H, Li Y, Manoj N, Qiao Q, Khan Z, Cao C, Yin H, Cai J. The development of antimicrobial a-AApeptides that suppress proinflammatory immune responses. Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology. 15(5) : 688-94, 2014.
• Cao C, Li Y, Liu H, Bai G, Mayl J, Lin X, Sutherland K, Nabar N, Cai J. The potential therapeutic effects of THC on Alzheimer''s disease. Journal of Alzheimer''s disease : JAD. 42(3) : 973-84, 2014.
• Li Y, Smith C, Wu H, Teng P, Shi Y, Padhee S, Jones T, Nguyen AM, Cao C, Yin H, Cai J. Short antimicrobial lipo-α/γ-AA hybrid peptides. Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology. 15(15) : 2275-80, 2014.
• Lin X, Bai G, Lin L, Wu H, Cai J, Ugen KE, Cao C. Vaccination induced changes in pro-inflammatory cytokine levels as an early putative biomarker for cognitive improvement in a transgenic mouse model for Alzheimer disease. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics. 10(7) : 2024-31, 2014.
• Wu H, Li Y, Bai G, Niu Y, Qiao Q, Tipton JD, Cao C, Cai J. γ-AApeptide-based small-molecule ligands that inhibit Aβ aggregation. Chemical communications (Cambridge, England). 50(40) : 5206-8, 2014.
• Li Y, Smith C, Wu H, Padhee S, Manoj N, Cardiello J, Qiao Q, Cao C, Yin H, Cai J. Lipidated cyclic γ-AApeptides display both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity. ACS chemical biology. 9(1) : 211-7, 2014.
• Selenica ML, Alvarez JA, Nash KR, Lee DC, Cao C, Lin X, Reid P, Mouton PR, Morgan D, Gordon MN. Diverse activation of microglia by chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 overexpression in brain. Journal of neuroinflammation. 10: 86, 2013.
• Niu Y, Wu H, Li Y, Hu Y, Padhee S, Li Q, Cao C, Cai J. AApeptides as a new class of antimicrobial agents. Organic & biomolecular chemistry. 11(26) : 4283-90, 2013.
• Song S, Song S, Cao C, Lin X, Li K, Sava V, Sanchez-Ramos J. Hippocampal neurogenesis and the brain repair response to brief stereotaxic insertion of a microneedle. Stem cells international. 2013: 205878, 2013.
• Nabar NR, Yuan F, Lin X, Wang L, Bai G, Mayl J, Li Y, Zhou SF, Wang J, Cai J, Cao C. Cell therapy: a safe and efficacious therapeutic treatment for Alzheimer''s disease in APP+PS1 mice. PloS one. 7(12) : e49468, 2012.
• Dragicevic N, Delic V, Cao C, Copes N, Lin X, Mamcarz M, Wang L, Arendash GW, Bradshaw PC. Caffeine increases mitochondrial function and blocks melatonin signaling to mitochondria in Alzheimer''s mice and cells. Neuropharmacology. 63(8) : 1368-79, 2012.
• Hu Y, Amin MN, Padhee S, Wang RE, Qiao Q, Bai G, Li Y, Mathew A, Cao C, Cai J. Lipidated peptidomimetics with improved antimicrobial activity. ACS medicinal chemistry letters. 3(8) : 683-6, 2012.
• Song S, Sava V, Rowe A, Li K, Cao C, Mori T, Sanchez-Ramos J. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) enhances recovery in mouse model of Parkinson''s disease. Neuroscience letters. 487(2) : 153-7, 2011.
• Dragicevic N, Copes N, O''Neal-Moffitt G, Jin J, Buzzeo R, Mamcarz M, Tan J, Cao C, Olcese JM, Arendash GW, Bradshaw PC. Melatonin treatment restores mitochondrial function in Alzheimer''s mice: a mitochondrial protective role of melatonin membrane receptor signaling. Journal of pineal research. 51(1) : 75-86, 2011.
• Arendash GW, Sanchez-Ramos J, Mori T, Mamcarz M, Lin X, Runfeldt M, Wang L, Zhang G, Sava V, Tan J, Cao C. Electromagnetic field treatment protects against and reverses cognitive impairment in Alzheimer''s disease mice. Journal of Alzheimer''s disease : JAD. 19(1) : 191-210, 2010.
• Arendash GW, Cao C. Caffeine and coffee as therapeutics against Alzheimer''s disease. Journal of Alzheimer''s disease : JAD. 20 Suppl 1: S117-26, 2010.
• Arendash GW, Mori T, Cao C, Mamcarz M, Runfeldt M, Dickson A, Rezai-Zadeh K, Tane J, Citron BA, Lin X, Echeverria V, Potter H. Caffeine reverses cognitive impairment and decreases brain amyloid-beta levels in aged Alzheimer''s disease mice. Journal of Alzheimer''s disease : JAD. 17(3) : 661-80, 2009.

Positions Held

• Assistant Professor (Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida 2011 - 2016)
• Assistant Professor (Research) (Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, University of South Florida 2008 - 2011)