Curriculum Vitae:

Dr. Qifei Cong graduated with a bachelor degree of biological science and technology from School of Life Science, Nanjing University in 2010 and got his Ph.D degree in medicinal chemistry in glycochemistry and glycobiology in 2015. In 2016, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist in Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. In 2021, he joined in Institute of Neuroscience, Soochow University.

Research Experience：

Jan. 2016 – Feb. 2021: Postdoctoral Research. Laboratory of Dr. Gek-Ming Sia. Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Investigate of the role of SRPX2 in synaptogenesis, and uncover its mechanism of protecting synapse via inhibiting the classical complement pathway against complement-mediated microglial engulfment during development. This pathbreaking finding has recently been published in Nature Neuroscience (2020) and Glia (2022). Sep. 2010 - July. 2015: Doctoral Research. Laboratory of Dr. Kan Ding. Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Discover anti-tumor bioactive polysaccharides from Chinese traditional medicine, mainly focusing on the native or chemical-derived sulfated polysaccharides and identify the targeting proteins of glycans and these interactions via crystallography and surface plasmon resonance. These studies have been published in Cancer Letters, Carbohydrate polymers, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Carbohydrate Research, etc.

Selected Publications:

1. Cong Q*, Soteros BM, Huo A, Li Y, Tenner AJ, Sia GM. (2022) C1q and SRPX2 regulate microglia mediated synapse elimination during early development in the visual thalamus but not the visual cortex. Glia 70(3):451-465.

2. Qifei Cong^#, Breeanne M. Soteros^#, Mackenna Wollet, Jun Hee Kim, Gek-Ming Sia*., (2020) The endogenous neuronal complement inhibitor SRPX2 protects against complement-mediated synapse elimination during development. Nature Neuroscience 23 (9): 1067-1078.

3. Huanjun Chen^#, Qifei Cong^#, Zhenyun Du, Wenfeng Liao, Lei Zhang, Yanli Yao, Kan Ding*., (2016) Sulfated fucoidan FP08S2 inhibits lung cancer cell growth in vivo by disrupting angiogenesis via targeting VEGFR2/VEGF and blocking VEGFR2/Erk/VEGF signaling. Cancer Letters, 382(1): 44-52.

4. Qifei Cong^#, Huanjun Chen^#, Wenfeng Liao, Fei Xiao, Peipei Wang, Yi Qin, Qun Dong*, Kan Ding*., (2016) Structural characterization and effect on anti-angiogenic activity of a fucoidan from Sargassum fusiforme. Carbohydrate polymers, 136: 899-907.

5. Qifei Cong, Fei Xiao, Wenfeng Liao, Qun Dong*, Kan Ding*., (2014). Structure and biological activities of an alginate from Sargassum fusiforme, and its sulfated derivative. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 69: 252-259.