Sunan Gao

Disciplines

Aging, Biostatistics; Epidemiology; Biomedical Data Science

Research Interest

  • Aging-related Diseases: Cognitive decline; Dementia; Cardiovascular disease

  • Research Methods: Functional data analysis; Machine Learning; Causal inference

  • High Dimensional Data: Accelerator data; Multi-Omics

Peer-reviewed Articles (first author)

  • Gao, S., Xiao, A.Y., Zou, S., Li, T., Deng, H., Wang, Y., 2025a. Exploring causal links in the gut–brain axis: a Mendelian randomization study of gut microbiota, metabolites, and cognition. Food Funct. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4FO04366A

  • Gao, S., Zhou, X., Koffman, L., Wanigatunga, A.A., Schrack, J.A., Crainiceanu, C.M., Muschelli, J., 2025b. Comparing step counting algorithms for high-resolution wrist accelerometry data in older adults in the ARIC study. J. Gerontol. Ser. A glaf034. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glaf034

  • Gao, S., Deng, H., Wen, S., Wang, Y., 2023. Effects of accelerated biological age on depressive symptoms in a causal reasoning framework. J. Affect. Disord. 339, 732–741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.019

  • Yang, Q.1, Gao, S.1, Lin, J., Lyu, K., Wu, Z., Chen, Y., Qiu, Y., Zhao, Y., Wang, W., Lin, T., Pan, H., Chen, M., 2022. A machine learning-based data mining in medical examination data: a biological features-based biological age prediction model. BMC Bioinformatics 23, 411. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12859-022-04966-7

  • Gao, S., Yang, M., Luo, Z., Ban, Z., Pan, Y., Tu, M., Ma, Q., Lin, X., Xu, Y., Li, L., 2022. Soy protein/chitosan-based microsphere as Stable Biocompatible Vehicles of Oleanolic Acid: An Emerging Alternative Enabling the Quality Maintenance of Minimally Processed Produce. Food Hydrocoll. 124, 107325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2021.107325

Peer-reviewed Articles (other author)

  • Wang, Y., Deng, H., Gao, S., Li, T., Wang, F., 2024. A Fresh Perspective on Examining Population Emotional Well-Being Trends by Internet Search Engine: An Emerging Composite Anxiety and Depression Index. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health 21, 202. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020202

  • Wu, Y., Li, Y., Jia, W., Zhu, L., Wan, X., Gao, S., Zhang, Y., 2023. Reconstructing hepatic metabolic profile and glutathione-mediated metabolic fate of acrylamide. Environ. Pollut. 337, 122508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122508

  • Wan, X., Zhang, Yiju, Gao, S., Shen, X., Jia, W., Pan, X., Zhuang, P., Jiao, J., Zhang, Yu, 2022. Machine learning prediction of exposure to acrylamide based on modelling of association between dietary exposure and internal biomarkers. Food Chem. Toxicol. 170, 113498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2022.113498

  • Ji, S., Xu, T., Huang, W., Gao, S., Zhong, Y., Yang, X., Ahmed Hassan, M., Lu, B., 2022. Atmospheric pressure plasma jet pretreatment to facilitate cassava starch modification with octenyl succinic anhydride. Food Chem. 370, 130922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130922

  • Yang, M., Luo, Z., Gao, S., Belwal, T., Wang, L., Qi, M., Ban, Z., Wu, B., Wang, F., Li, L., 2021. The chemical composition and potential role of epicuticular and intracuticular wax in four cultivars of table grapes. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 173, 111430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2020.111430

  • Dong, J., Gao, S., Chen J., 2021. Application progress and prospect of light-emitting diode light technology in food preservation. Science and Technology of Food Industry 2021 (16), 374-380. doi: 10.13386/j.issn1002-0306.2020080116

Software & Patent

  • Heming D, Sunan, G. CRAN R Package (2023). UOTM: Uncertainty of Time Series Model Selection. Link: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/uotm/index.html

  • Sunan G, Tongxu L. (2024). Gut-Met-MR: Mendelian Randomization framework for Gut Microbiome Communication. GitHub R package, coming soon

  • National Invention Patent (CN-115006369-A, 2021-2023). A brain-targeted lipid nanocapsule drug-carrying system and its preparation method and application. Link: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/patent/CN-115006369-A

Abstract / Posters

  • Zou, S., Gao, S., Juraschek, S., Miller, E., Matsushita, K., Appel, L., 2025. Abstract P2071: Effects of Dietary Patterns and Sodium Intake on Blood Pressure Variability: Results from the DASH and DASH-Sodium Trials. Circulation 151. https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.151.suppl_1.P2071

  • Gao, S., Crainiceanu, C., Davoudi, A., Dougherty, R. J., Etzkorn, L., Wanigatunga, A. A., Spira, A. P., Schrack, J. A., 2025. Cognitive Decline Trajectories and Time-of-Day Physical Activity Patterns: The ARIC Neurocognitive Study. 18th Annual JHSPH Research on Aging Showcase #22

  • Shi, H., Wan, X., Gao, S., Zhuang, P., Zhang, Y., Jiao, J., 2022. Plasma metabolome reveals the associations of dietary fats with risk of metabolic syndrome. 15th China Nutrition Science Congress

Research Experience

Graduate Research Assistant (Johns Hopkins University)
Supervised by Jennifer Schrack, Professor of Epidemiology
Jan. 2024 - Now
Master’s Researcher (Johns Hopkins University)
Supervised by Ciprian Crainiceanu, Professor of Biostatistics
Jan. 2024 - Now
Graduate Research Assistant (Johns Hopkins University)
Supervised by Yu Wang, Professor of Statistics
Sept. 2022 - Nov. 2023
Undergraduate Researcher (Zhejiang University)
Supervised by Ming Chen, Professor of Bioinformatics
Jan. 2022 - Sept. 2022
Undergraduate Researcher (Zhejiang University)
Supervised by Yu Zhang, Professor of Food Science
Co-supervised by Jingjing Jiao, Professor of Nutrition
Oct. 2021 - Aug. 2022
Undergraduate Research Assistant (Zhejiang University)
Supervised by Li Li, Professor of Food Science
Co-Supervised by Baiyi Lu, Professor of Food Science
Feb. 2019 - Sept. 2021