Cellular Dynamics
From Genes to Tissues
At the heart of life’s complexity lies the extraordinary diversity and plasticity of cells, despite sharing the same genetic blueprint. The cellular dynamics are essential for maintaining the delicate homeostasis of tissues and organs throughout life for all living organisms. Using single-cell technologies, we have previously revealed the continuum of mammalian spermatogenic cells, and the dynamic cellular interactions in the world's first pig-to-human kidney xenotransplantation. Moreover, we proposed the 'periodic table of cell types' framework for investigating cell type and state transitions during development. We continue to develop scalable technologies that can enable a mechanistic understanding of cell fate determination and tissue homeostasis.
Cellular Dynamics and Engineering
What factors ultimately determine a cell's fate and function? To answer this question, we focus on investigating the ~2,500 chromatin-associated proteins, including ~1,600 transcription factors and ~900 other chromatin-binding proteins. Our goal is to understand the fundamental mechanisms that govern any specific cell type and state in the mammalian species. By harnessing the power of AI, genomics, and gene manipulation, we aim to build scalable technologies that can advance our understanding and engineering of cell fate and functions.
Cellular dynamics in pig-to-human kidney xenotransplantation
Tissue Homeostasis and Regeneration
We are interested in understanding how individual cells collectively achieve tissue- and organ-level physiological functions during embryonic and post-embryonic development, and what controls their dynamics in response to environmental conditions. To this end, we first focus on elucidating the key mechanisms that control cell fate and functions. We develop high-throughput scalable technologies, including in silico screen technologies and spatial genomics, to investigate cellular functions in tissues and organs of key developmental stages. We expect these technologies and their fundamental discoveries to accelerate cellular engineering for regeneration and aging challenges.