Biosketch

Award & Honors

Eugene Mc Dermott Scholar in Biomedical Research, UT Southwestern
Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar
Basil O Conner Scholar

Endowed Title

Southwestern Medical Foundation Scholar in Biomedical Research

Schools

Graduate School: Rutgers University-UMDNJ, Ph.D. Biochemistry (1997)
Graduate School: USTC/Chinese Academic Sinica, Institute of Chemistry (1991)
Undergraduate: Beijing Normal University, Biochemistry (1988)

Research Interests

The central goal of our research is to understand the molecular mechanisms of myelinating glial cell development and disease in the mammalian nervous systems. We are interested in the transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of glial cell fate specification and differentiation from neural progenitor cells as well as myelination and related diseases in the vertebrate nervous system.

Our research integrates genetics and epigenomics to define molecular networks that controls the development and regeneration of myelinating cells (oligodendrocyte and Schwann cell) in the central and peripheral nervous systems. We have developed a series of transgenic animal models to trace murine glial lineage development and myelinogenesis as well as brain cancer formation.

Currently, we are pursuing the following projects in our lab:

• Transcriptional regulation of neural stem cell differentiation and gliogenesis 
• Epigenetic and chromatin remodeling control of myelinating cell differentiation and disease 
• Signaling mechanisms including GPCR signaling in oligodendrocyte differentiation and regeneration 
• Non-coding RNA (e.g. miRNAs and lncRNAs) in myelination in the CNS 
• Brain cancer formation/ tumor initiating cells
• Molecular control of peripheral myelination and nerve regeneration