I am broadly interested in all kinds of biomedical research that involves challenges in data analysis. I love developing computational solutions (software) for these problems and applying them on real data. I believe that the ability to comprehensively analyze “big data” is a very important step towards understanding this complex system.
The 1D genome (DNA sequence) has been determined and studied for over a decade. However, the complex transcriptional program has yet to be fully understood. A lot of “evil” organismal malfunctions (such as cancer) originate from or innitiate dramatic changes in the transcription, however it is unclear how this is achieved. My current research focus on characterizing 3D chromatin structure dynamics during stem cell differentiation, and how it is linked to transcription. A preview of this work can be found at biorxiv
Isn’t it fascinating that nearly all living organisms are doomed to ageing and death, while our DNAs continue to thrive in the blood of our offsprings? Is this simply a survival strategy/natural selection, or an instrinsic defect in our system that can never be fixed? Animal longevity has been studied for decades and many genes were found to be linked to prolonged/reduced life span. However, we are still far from understanding the ageing process. Through characterization and comparison of young and old cells/tissues, I’m hoping to better understand the underlying changes in ageing.
I love the idea of open source science, where data and scripts are shared transparently upon publication. I think it is very important to share these, as it is a way for others to more easily replicate your findings.
For a list of my publications, please see google scholar