August 17, 2023
Professional Experience
Dr. Yong Shen received his PhD in Genetics & Genomics and Master of Public Health in Public Health Policy and Management from the University of Florida in 2018 and subsequently performed postdoc research in Human Genetics at Harvard Medical School as well as Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
His research focused on the use of genome editing techniques to study the regulatory mechanism of hemoglobin gene expression in red blood cell and the frontier exploration of gene therapy methods for the deadly genetic anemias, such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia. He published more than 15 research papers and reviews within the fields of human genetics, molecular genetics and molecular therapy, including Nature Communications, Molecular and Cellular Biology, PLOS Genetics and Molecular Therapy–Nucleic Acid etc.
Dr. Shen also has enriched experiences in innovation and entrepreneurship and is aspiring to make contributions to translating cutting-edge biomedical innovations to solve the most challenging human health problems, such as genetic diseases, cancer and aging etc.
Research Interest and Future Direction
He is especially interested to explore epigenetic techniques to reverse aging. As plasticity of epigenetic modifications, molecular editing techniques can be developed to intervene the pathological epigenetic machinery for therapeutic approaches against diseases. Recent studies have implicated that epigenetic reprogramming using a subset of the Yamanaka factors (OCT4, SOX2, and KLF4; OSK) can reverse aging-related changes for organ rejuvenated repair and longer lifespan in animal models. Here, he aims to develop novel epigenetic reprogramming interventions to reverse aging-associated diseases to extend one’s healthy lifespan.
Wishes
"I am aspiring to start my journey for teaching and research exploration at XJTLU.
XJTLU is a highly international and diverse university. Teaching and research closely follow the international frontiers. Besides, the campus is backed by Suzhou Industrial Park and BioBay with rich biotech industry resources. This is a very strong ecosystem for close cooperation between universities and enterprises which can lead to rapid translations of innovative technologies."
August 17, 2023