Dr. Luo has a broad and well-funded research program centered on the effects of alcohol on CNS development as well as driving several organ-specific diseases. Specifically, he is studying 1) Alcohol-induced neurodegeneration in the developing brain and the roles oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and autophagy play in this destructive process; 2) The interaction of chronic alcohol abuse and thiamine deficiency in neurodegeneration and behavioral deficits; 3) The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced induction and promotion of breast cancer; and 4) The mechanism of alcohol-promoted pancreatitis. These projects are supported by a VA Merit award, two NIH R01 grants and an NIH R21 grant. Consistent with his multi-faceted research program Jia has published extensively in the alcohol, toxicology, neuroscience and cancer literature. He is also very active with peer review at the national level serving on multiple editorial boards and NIH study sections.