Kun Hu | Harvard Catalyst Profiles

Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou, PRC	BS	07/1995	Material Science, Physics
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA	MS	05/1999	Quantum Physics
Boston University, Boston, MA, USA	PhD	02/2005	Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA	Postdoctoral	11/2007	Gerontology, Cardiovascular Physiology
Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA	Postdoctoral	11/2007	Circadian Physiology

awards and honors

1995

B.S. Thesis award

2003

Travel Award for Annual Meeting

2005

Travel Award for Annual Meeting

2006

Research Merit Trainee Travel Award

2006

Travel Grant for Workshop "Short-term Cardiovascular-Respiratory Control Mechanisms"

2007

Honorable Mention Abstract award

2008

Investigator Award

2008

Young Investigator

2015

Chair's Research Award (Department of Medicine)

2016

The Thousand Plan for Young Scholars (Selected but withdrawn)

2016

Innovation Discovery Award

Overview

overview

I obtained my doctoral training in statistical physics with a specific focus on nonlinear dynamic analysis and fractal physiology. During the first 5 years of my postdoctoral training, I have essentially involved in human experimental studies in two laboratories: Medical Chronobiology Program under the supervision of Dr. Steven Shea and Dr. Frank Scheer in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at BWH (sleep/circadian physiology); and SAFE (Syncope and Falls in the Elderly) Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Vera Novak in the Division of Gerontology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) (for aging research). Between 2009-2011, I continued my advanced training in sleep/circadian physiology at BWH while learning about animal models involving neural lesions and gene knockouts in Dr. Clifford Saper’s lab in the Department of Neurology at BIDMC and in system biology under the guidance of Prof. Walter Fontana in the Department of System Biology at Harvard University.

With my multidisciplinary training, I have been promoting the application of the concepts/methods derived from statistical physics and nonlinear dynamics in medicine during the last 16 years. To foster such translational research in sleep medicine, I established Medical Biodynamics Program (MBP) in the Division of Sleep Medicine at HMS (https://sleep.hms.harvard.edu/research/labs-divisions/medical-biodynamics-program-mbp). My research over the last decade years has been continuously funded by the NIH (K99 HL102241, R00 HL102241, R01AG048108, RF1AG059867, RF1AG064312). The on-going projects in our group are aimed to understand the physiological impacts of Alzheimer's disease, and to develop cost-efficient, non-invasive biomarkers for predicting and monitoring the progression of the disease.

keywords

webpage

	Medical Biodynamics Program
	Medical Chronobiology Program

media links

	Heart Rhythms Seem Circadian in Nature (2004)
	Morning Heart Attacks May Follow Body’s Clock (2004)
	Wristwatch 'sees' biological clock in the brain (2009)
	Cerebral flow velocities during daily activities depend on blood pressure in patients with chronic i (2010)
	Endogenous circadian rhythm in vasovagal response to head-up tilt (2011)
	Predicting frailty, disability and death (2019)
	Changes in movement patterns predict frailty, disability in the elderly (2019)
	Subconscious changes in movement may predict Alzheimer's disease (2021)
	Could frequent, long daytime naps foreshadow Alzheimer’s disease? (2022)
	Excessive daytime napping could be early sign of Alzheimer’s disease (2022)
	Excessive Napping Tied To Increased Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease (2022)
	“Vicious Cycle” Discovered Between Excessive Daytime Napping and Alzheimer’s Dementia (2022)
	Researchers find a ‘vicious cycle’ between excessive daytime napping and Alzheimer’s dementia (2022)
	Daily Rhythm Detected for Cerebral Blood Flow in Stroke Patients (2023)

Research

research activities and funding

The research activities and funding listed below are automatically derived from NIH ExPORTER and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing items. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

Most Recent | List All

R01AG083799 (HU, KUN) Sep 15, 2023 - Jun 30, 2028

NIH

Circadian disturbance and dementia in Latin America

Role: Principal Investigator
290-FP-22 (Gao, Chenlu) Dec 16, 2022 - Dec 15, 2023

American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation

Daytime napping and Alzheimer's disease in middle-to-older aged adults: Timing, irregularity, and interaction with genetic risks

Role Description: The goal of this project is to determine the changes of nap characteristics with age and the interaction effects of napping and genetics on cognitive decline and risk for Alzheimer’s dementia.

Role: Co-mentor
NA (Yuan, Robin) Dec 16, 2022 - Dec 15, 2023

American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation

Changes in heart rate variability in response to chronic circadian disruption with and without sleep restriction

Role Description: The goal of this project is to examine the impact of chronic circadian disruption on autonomic control and sympathovagal balance

Role: Mentor
AARFD-22-928372 (Chenlu Gao) May 1, 2022 - Apr 30, 2023

Alzheimer's Association

Timing and irregularity of daytime napping and Alzheimer’s disease

Role Description: The goal of this project is to determine the effects of timing and regularity of daytime napping on cognitive decline and the development/progression of Alzheimer’s disease

Role: Co-mentor
R33AG067069-01 HIV/Aging Pilot Award (Peng Li) Apr 21, 2021 - Mar 31, 2022

NIH/NIA

Association between rest activity rhythm and cognition in PLWH

Role Description: The goal of this pilot study is to examine alterations in the rest-activity circadian rhythm in people living with HIV infection using nonlinear rhythmicity analysis, determine the links between the rhythm to cognition, and explore the potential mechanisms underlying their association in terms of multimorbidity

Role: Other Significant Contributor
R03AG067985 (GAO , LEI) Sep 15, 2020 - May 31, 2022

NIH

Circadian Multiscale Activity Regulation and the Risk for Delirium in Elderly Hospitalized Patients

Role Description: The goal of this project is to determine whether the multiscale regulation of motor activity can be a sensitive biomarker of delirium in the elderly.

Role: Mentor
A2020886S (Peng Li) Sep 1, 2020 - Aug 31, 2023

BrightFocus Foundation

Circadian regulation, autonomic function and Alzheimer’s disease

Role Description: Circadian regulation, autonomic function and Alzheimer’s disease BrightFocus Foundation A2020886S Co-In (PI: Peng Li) The goal of this project is to determine the roles of circadian dysregulation and autonomic dysfunction in the development/progression of AD utilizing novel circadian and autonomic measures derived from nonlinear analyses.

Role: Co-Investigator
K99HL148500 (QIAN, JINGYI) Sep 1, 2020 - Aug 31, 2022

NIH

Timing of Physical Activity on Cardiometabolic Health Outcomes

Role Description: The goal of this project is to study the relationship between timing of physical activity and physical activity-induced cardiometabolic outcomes in humans, with the goal of providing mechanistic insights to design lifestyle interventions to improve the efficacy of physical activity.

Role: Co-mentor
MRTG-02-15-2020 (Lei Gao) Feb 1, 2020 - Sep 30, 2020

Foundation in Anesthesia Research and Education (FAER)

Circadian/Sleep Disturbances and Systemic Inflammation in the Development of Delirium

Role Description: The goal of this project is to determine the long-term relationship between circadian/sleep disturbance and delirium.

Role: Mentor
RF1AG064312 (HU, KUN) Sep 1, 2019 - Mar 31, 2024

NIH

Integrative Motor Activity Biomarker for the Risk of Alzheimer's Risk

Role: Principal Investigator
RF1AG059867 (HU, KUN) Aug 15, 2018 - Mar 31, 2023

NIH

Fractal motor activity regulation and the risk for Alzheimers disease in middle-to-old aged adults

Role Description: The goals of this project are to determine the degradation in fractal activity regulation from middle to old ages, the genetics underpinnings of fractal activity degradation, its associated neuroanatomical changes in the brain, and its ability to predict the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Role: Principal Investigator
20150042 (Peng Li) Dec 1, 2015 - Dec 1, 2016

The China Postdoctoral Council, The International Postdoctoral Exchange Fellowship Program (P.R. China)

Effects of Circadian Disorders on the Complexity of Cardiac Dynamics

Role Description: The major goal of this project is to determine how the circadian system modulates cardiac function and the circadian influence is altered with aging and age-related disorders.

Role: Mentor
R01AG048108 (HU, KUN) Sep 1, 2015 - Oct 31, 2019

NIH

Neuropathology for disrupted multiscale activity control in Alzheimer's disease

Role Description: The goal of this project is to test whether multiscale activity control, a recently revealed novel dynamic control in motor activity fluctuations, can be used as a cost-efficient, reliable tool to predict cognitive decline and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in elderly individuals.

Role: Principal Investigator
103-2917-I-564-005 (Wei-Ying Chiang) Jan 1, 2014 - Jun 30, 2014

The National Science Council of Taiwan

Modeling the multi-time scale regulatory function of the circadian network: fractal and circadian rhythmicity

Role Description: The major goal of this project is to build a physiologically meaningful mathematical model for the functional role of the circadian system in physiological control at multiple time scales.

Role: Mentor
NNX10AR10G (Steven A Shea) Oct 1, 2010 - Oct 1, 2015

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Identification of Cardiometabolic Vulnerabilities Caused by Effects of Synergistic Stressors that are Commonly Encountered During Space Missions

Role Description: The major goal of this grant is to assess cardiovascular responses to exercise, postural tilt, and mental stress during combined sleep deprivation and circadian misalignment, as occurs with space flight.

Role: Co-Investigator (2010-2014)
R00HL102241 (HU, KUN) Apr 1, 2010 - Mar 31, 2016

NIH

Fractal Regulatory Function of the Circadian System

Role Description: The primary goal of this project is to identify the neuronal nodes and pathways through which the circadian system imparts fractal activity control.

Role: Principal Investigator
K99HL102241 (HU, KUN) Apr 1, 2010 - Mar 31, 2012

NIH

Fractal Regulatory Function of the Circadian System

Role Description: The goal of this career development award is to allow the PI to fulfill multidisciplinary training in circadian biology, human physiology/pathology, neurobiology, and systems biology under supervision of three highly regarded scientists in these fields, and to gradually establish research independence.

Role: Principal Investigator
NSC 99-2911-I-008-100 (Norden Huang) Mar 1, 2010 - Mar 1, 2015

National Science Council in Taiwan

Center for Dynamical Biomarkers and Translational Medicine

Role Description: Funded by the I-RiCE program (International Research-intensive Centers of Excellence in Taiwan), the mission of the center is to establish a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, medical researchers, physicists, applied mathematicians, computer scientists and engineers in order to translate modern nonlinear dynamics approaches to medical research.

Role: Co-PI for the development of a training program at Harvard Medical School to provide research traini
KL2 RR025757 Oct 1, 2009 - Mar 31, 2010

KL2 The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (NIH 1KL2RR025757-01)

Fractal regulatory function of the circadian system

Role Description: The goal of this award is to enable the PI to pursue rigorous training in clinical and translational research, to pursue a mentored research project in the area of circadian biology, and to perform preliminary research projects in order to provide the basis for an independent NIH award.

Role: PI
P30AG028717 (LIPSITZ, LEWIS) Sep 30, 2009 - Aug 31, 2011

NIH

Harvard Older Americans Independence Center Grant

Role Description: The Harvard OAIC will strengthen and expand our knowledge and scientific resources in vascular medicine and aging to help us better understand the vascular role in age-related physical and cognitive decline, design new interventions to ameliorate this decline, and train new investigators to study this critical problem.

Role: PI of a pilot study: “Effects of impaired cerebral autoregulation on functional outcomes in the elde
R01AG028076 (NOVAK, VERA) Aug 15, 2009 - Jul 31, 2012

NIH

Cerebromicrovascular disease in elderly with diabetes

Role Description: The study evaluates the effects of type 2 diabetes on cerebral blood flow and white matter structure and relationship to functional outcomes.

Role: Co-Investigator (2009); Consultant (2009-2012)
1-06-CR-25 (Vera Novak) Jan 1, 2006 - Dec 31, 2009

American Diabetes Association

Cerebral Perfusion and Cognitive Decline in Type 2 diabetes

Role Description: The goal of this study is to determine the effects of type 2 diabetes on brain neuroanatomic structure changes and functional outcomes in the elderly.

Role: Postdoctoral fellow (2006); Co-investigator (2007-2009)
R01HL076409 (SHEA, STEVEN A) Sep 15, 2004 - Aug 31, 2009

NIH

Circadian and behavioral factors of cardiovascular risk

Role Description: The goal of this study is to assess whether the circadian system or the day/night pattern of behaviors including postural changes, activity and sleep state changes predispose the individual to increased cardiovascular risk at different times of day or night, and the ultimate goal is to understand the morning peak in adverse cardiovascular events such as stroke and myocardial infarctions.

Role: Co-Investigator (2005-2009)
P30AI060354 (GANDHI, RAJESH T) Jul 1, 2004 - Jul 31, 2024

NIH

Harvard University Center for AIDS Research

Role Description: The goal of this pilot study of Dr. Peng Li is to determine the role of circadian regulation in HIV-associated cognitive impairment.

Role: Mentor for Dr. Peng Li (pilot study)
K24HL076446 (SHEA, STEVEN A) Jun 20, 2004 - Jul 31, 2015

NIH

Chronobiology of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease

Role Description: The goal of this award is to develop a group of outstanding clinical investigators of medical chronobiology, and to help understand the independent roles of the internal body clock (circadian pacemaker) and behavioral day/night patterns (including the sleep/wake cycle) causing the day/night pattern in the severity of a number of disorders.

Role: Co-Investigator (2009-2010)
5P01AG009975-19 (CZEISLER, CHARLES A) May 15, 1999 - May 31, 2019

NIH

Sleep, Aging and Circadian Rhythm Disorders

Role Description: The major goal of this project is to assess the role of the circadian system in the disturbed sleep characteristic of elderly humans, and to determine the effect of aging upon the consequences of sleep restriction in terms of cognitive performance, vigilance and metabolic changes.

Role: Co-Investigator (2009-2019)
5T32GM007592-42 (FORMAN, STUART A) Jul 1, 1978 - Jun 30, 2024

NIH

Research Training for Anesthetists

Role Description: The goal of this fellowship is to allow the Dr. Gao Lei (PI for the pilot study: "Circadian rhythms, the autonomic nervous system and chronic pain in shift workers") to fulfill training and perform research in sleep, circadian physiology, and nonlinear data analysis in order to gradually establish his research independence.

Role: Mentor of Dr. Lei Gao (20018-2021)

Year	Publications
1998	3
2001	1
2002	1
2003	3
2004	5
2005	5
2006	7
2007	10
2008	11
2009	6
2010	3
2011	3
2012	5
2013	3
2014	3
2015	5
2016	7
2017	5
2018	4
2019	5
2020	5
2021	7
2022	5
2023	2