Contact information
Colleges
Research groups
PRIZES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
2024 The Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad
2024 Goodger and Schorstein Research Scholarship
2024 ARUK Thames Valley ECR Best Scientific Talk
2022 Oxford Parkinson's Research Day Best Poster
Shijun Yan
MSc
DPhil Student
BIOGRAPHY
Shijun holds a B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (2018) and an M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine (2020). During his master’s studies, he engineered microfluidic platforms to investigate human brain organoid biology, laying the groundwork for his current research in neurodegenerative disease diagnostics.
As a DPhil candidate in Clinical Neuroscience under Professor George Tofaris, Shijun focuses on advancing biochemical assays and discovering novel biomarkers within neuronally-derived extracellular vesicles (nEVs) isolated from blood. nEVs are nanoscale membranous particles secreted by neurons into systemic circulation, offering a unique window into neurological pathology. Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams, he has demonstrated the clinical utility of serum nEV α-synuclein for stratifying individuals at high risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Notably, he developed an innovative microfluidic platform that identified nEV membrane-associated α-synuclein as a promising early-stage biomarker for PD, potentially enabling earlier intervention strategies.
His interdisciplinary work bridges engineering innovation, molecular diagnostics, and clinical neuroscience, with the ultimate goal of accelerating therapeutic development through precision biomarker discovery.
Recent publications
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Single extracellular vesicle detection assay identifies membrane-associated α-synuclein as an early-stage biomarker in Parkinson’s disease
Journal article
Yan S. et al, (2025), Cell Reports Medicine, 6, 101999 - 101999
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PIEZO1-halotag hiPSC lines: A new tool to assay PIEZO1 localization and activity from single cells to tissue organoids
Journal article
Bertaccini GA. et al, (2024), Biophysical Journal, 123, 242a - 243a
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Neuronally Derived Extracellular Vesicle α-Synuclein as a Serum Biomarker for Individuals at Risk of Developing Parkinson Disease
Journal article
Yan S. et al, (2024), JAMA Neurology, 81, 59 - 59