Research Focus
We strive to understand the mammalian immune system at the organismal, cellular, and molecular levels, under health and disease conditions, with a strong interest in the development, differentiation, function, and tolerance of B and T lymphocytes. We have been studying the function and molecular mechanism of action of microRNA, RNA-binding protein, and translational control in B and T cells since 2004, with a focus on (1) immune tolerance and autoimmune diseases; (2) antibody response; (3) immune control of chronic virus infection; (4) immuno-oncology; (5) lymphoma and leukemia. We have made a series of seminal discoveries, which were published in Cell (2007, 2009), Nature Immunology (2008, 2013, 2016, 2018), Immunity (2016), J Exp Med (2016), Nature Communications (2016), EMBO J (2013), Leukemia (2016, 2018), PLoS Genetics (2017), and many other journals.
A few years ago, we started to explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying immune control of cancer and virus, aiming to develop new therapeutics to treat immune diseases and harness the immune system to treat cancer. In additional to the traditional experimental approaches such as mouse genetics, flow cytometry, molecular and cellular methods, we are establishing technology platforms combining Mass Cytometry (CyTOF), single cell sequencing, and CRISPR-Cas9 mediated in vitro and in vivo functional screening to profile and interrogate the immune system in an unprecedented way. Employing these state-of-the-art technologies, we have identified novel molecules and pathways that play critical roles in autoimmune diseases, and in immune control of cancer and virus infection. We are pursuing these exciting findings at this moment. Highly motivated young scientists are always welcome to join our adventure.