Immune checkpoint blockade therapy has shown successful clinical outcomes in the treatment of various solid tumors such as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and others. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors work best in patients who exhibit certain tumor biomarkers. In a collaboration with the Department of Hematology Oncology, the Department of Systems Biology, and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University we aim to identify biomarkers which are associated with treatment outcome in patients with solid tumors who underwent immunotherapy. The project includes bioinformatic analysis of sequencing data. Mentoring and training will be provided.

Continue reading

Memory is a basic function of our brain that enables us to use the past experiences to service the present and future on a daily base, and memory function is often disrupted in neurological and psychiatric diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and posttraumatic stress disorder. To understand the molecular mechanism of memory storage, we will focus on DNA methylation, a chemical modification of our genome, that is hypothesized to play a critical role for memory. We have identified thousands of DNA methylation changes at numerous genomic loci occurred during the formation of fear and reward memory in the mouse brain. We will develop new computational tools to analyze these changes of DNA methylation and search for the common sequence features of these genomic loci. The result of this project will lead to a systematic understanding of the principle on the function and regulation of DNA methylation in memory, and will pave the way to develop new therapeutic strategies for diseases involved memory defects.

Continue reading

Bacterial and viral genomic epidemiology. Ongoing and new projects.

Continue reading