How our brain is developed and evolved remains a major question, and abnormal development of the human brain can cause autism, epilepsy and intellectual disability. We study fundamental mechanisms of brain development and disorders. Our current research includes: mechanisms of cell type specification in mammalian brains, genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders, and roles of mRNA isoforms in neural development and diseases. We develop and apply single-cell approaches, animal models, and functional genomics to address these questions.
Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Boston
Postdoc/Instructor - Human Genetics
2017
Fudan University
Shanghai
PhD - Developmental Genetics
2009
Cell-Type-Specific Splicing of Transcription Regulators and Ptbp1 by Rbfox1/2/3 in the Developing Neocortex.
Cell-Type-Specific Splicing of Transcription Regulators and Ptbp1 by Rbfox1/2/3 in the Developing Neocortex. J Neurosci. 2025 Feb 12; 45(7).
PMID: 39532536
Splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides for pediatric neurological disorders.
Splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides for pediatric neurological disorders. Front Mol Neurosci. 2024; 17:1412964.
PMID: 39119251
Infernape uncovers cell type-specific and spatially resolved alternative polyadenylation in the brain.
Infernape uncovers cell type-specific and spatially resolved alternative polyadenylation in the brain. Genome Res. 2023 10; 33(10):1774-1787.
PMID: 37907328
Single-cell long-read sequencing in human cerebral organoids uncovers cell-type-specific and autism-associated exons.
Single-cell long-read sequencing in human cerebral organoids uncovers cell-type-specific and autism-associated exons. Cell Rep. 2023 11 28; 42(11):113335.
PMID: 37889749
PIE-seq: identifying RNA-binding protein targets by dual RNA-deaminase editing and sequencing.
PIE-seq: identifying RNA-binding protein targets by dual RNA-deaminase editing and sequencing. Nat Commun. 2023 06 06; 14(1):3275.
PMID: 37280234
Upregulation of SYNGAP1 expression in mice and human neurons by redirecting alternative splicing.
Upregulation of SYNGAP1 expression in mice and human neurons by redirecting alternative splicing. Neuron. 2023 05 17; 111(10):1637-1650.e5.
PMID: 36917980
Orgo-Seq integrates single-cell and bulk transcriptomic data to identify cell type specific-driver genes associated with autism spectrum disorder.
Orgo-Seq integrates single-cell and bulk transcriptomic data to identify cell type specific-driver genes associated with autism spectrum disorder. Nat Commun. 2022 06 10; 13(1):3243.
PMID: 35688811
Variants in ADD1 cause intellectual disability, corpus callosum dysgenesis, and ventriculomegaly in humans.
Variants in ADD1 cause intellectual disability, corpus callosum dysgenesis, and ventriculomegaly in humans. Genet Med. 2022 02; 24(2):319-331.
PMID: 34906466
Progenitor cell diversity in the developing mouse neocortex.
Progenitor cell diversity in the developing mouse neocortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 03 09; 118(10).
PMID: 33649223
Regulation of human cerebral cortical development by EXOC7 and EXOC8, components of the exocyst complex, and roles in neural progenitor cell proliferation and survival.
Regulation of human cerebral cortical development by EXOC7 and EXOC8, components of the exocyst complex, and roles in neural progenitor cell proliferation and survival. Genet Med. 2020 06; 22(6):1040-1050.
PMID: 32103185