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  Principal Investigators
Name:
 CHENG Wu Albert
Subject:
 Gene regulation and therapy
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E-mail:
 albert.cheng@ioz.ac.cn
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 Group of CHENG Wu Albert      
Resume:

Professor Cheng, group leader, graduated with a Ph.D. from Computational and Systems Biology Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the tutelage of Professors Christopher Burge and Rudolf Jaenisch. During his PhD, he researched a wide range of topics, including epigenetic and RNA alternative splicing mechanisms in reprogramming, stem cell differentiation, cancer metastasis and erythropoiesis, as well as the development and utilization of CRISPR technology. The main research results include: identification of H3K27ac as a marker of active enhancers; analysis of RNA alternative splicing in cancer metastasis and erythropoiesis, and identification of splicing factors that regulate these processes; construction of CRISPR-on gene activation tool. After graduating from MIT in 2014, he joined the Jackson Laboratory and became one of the first JAX Scholars to continue working on improving CRISPR/Cas technologies. Since July 2015, he has established an independent laboratory at the Jackson Laboratory and later at Arizona State University to develop CRISPR/Cas and other synthetic biology technologies, such as Casilio, CASFx, CREST, TALEsense systems, etc. Prof. Cheng has published more than 40 articles in high-impact journals such as Cell, Nature Biotechnology, Cancer Discovery, Cell Stem Cell, Blood, Cell Research and PNAS, with a total number of citations of more than 20,000 (Google Scholar).

Education

2007.09-2014.06 Ph.D., Computational & Systems Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

2005.09-2007.08 M.Phil., Biology, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

2002.09-2005.08 B.Sc., Biochemistry, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Academic Positions

2023.11-Present, Professor, Institute of Zoology, CAS, Beijing, China

2022.01-2023.11, Associate Professor (PhD supervisor), School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, USA

2015.07-2021.12, Assistant Professor (PhD supervisor), Jackson Laboratory and University of Connecticut Health Center, USA

2014.06-2015.07 JAX Scholar Postdoctoral Fellow, Jackson Laboratory, USA

Research Interests:

1. Develop novel approaches for genome, epigenome and transcriptome editing and sensing.

2. Develop imaging techniques for 3D structure of the genome.

3. Study changes in 3D genome, epigenome and transcriptome underlying development and diseases.

4. Develop novel gene therapies.

5. Build computational models for the design of artificial DNA/RNA binding proteins and guide RNAs.

Awards and Honors:

Professional Activities:

Research Grants:

Selected Publications:

*Corresponding, #co-first

  1. Liu, Z., Jillette N., Robson, P., Cheng, A.W.* (2023) Simultaneous multifunctional transcriptome engineering by CRISPR RNA scaffold. Nucleic Acid Research gkad547 doi: 10.1093/nar/gkad547. IF=19.16
  2. Clow, P.A., Du, M., Jillette, N., Taghbalout, A., Zhu, J.J.*, Cheng, A.W.* (2022) CRISPR-mediated multiplexed live cell imaging of nonrepetitive genomic loci with one guide RNA per locus. Nature Communications 13:1871. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29343-z. IF=17.694
  3. Yi, E., Gujar, A.D., Guthrie, M., Kim, H., Zhao, D., Johnson K.C., Amin, S.B., Costa, M.L., Yu, Q., Das, S., Jillette, N., Clow, P.A., Cheng, A.W.*, Verhaak, R.G.W.* (2022) Live-cell imaging shows uneven segregation of extrachromosomal DNA elements and transcriptionally active extrachromosomal DNA hubs in cancer. Cancer Discovery doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-1376 (co-corresponding) IF=39.397
  4. Zhu, J.J., Cheng, A.W.* (2022) JACKIE: Fast enumeration of genome-wide single- and multi-copy CRISPR target sites and their off-target numbers. The CRISPR Journal doi: 10.1089/crispr.2022.0042 IF=4.321
  5. Du, M.#, Jillette, N.#, Zhu, J.J., Li, S., Cheng, A.W.* (2020) CRISPR Artificial Splicing Factors. Nature Communications 11:2973. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16806-4 IF=17.694
  6. Zhu, J.J., Jillette, N., Li X., Cheng, A.W.*, Lau C.C.* (2020) C11orf95-RELA Reprograms 3D Epigenome in Supratentorial Ependymoma. Acta Neuropathologica doi: 10.1007/s00401-020-02225-8 (co-corresponding) IF=21.534
  7. Taghbalout, A., Du, M., Jillette, N., Rosikiewicz, W. Rath, A., Heinen, C., Li, S., Cheng, A.W.* (2019) Enhanced CRISPR-based DNA demethylation by Casilio-ME-mediated RNA-guided coupling of methylcytosine oxidation and DNA repair pathways. Nature Communications 10:4296. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-12339-7 IF=17.694
  8. Jillette, N.#., Du, M.#, Zhu, J.J., Cardoz, P., Cheng, A.W.* (2019) Split Selectable Markers. Nature Communications 10:4968. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-12891-2 IF=17.694
  9. Cheng, A.W.*#, Jillette, N.#, Lee, P., Plaskon, D., Fujiwara, Y., Wang, W., Taghbalout, A., Wang, H.* (2016) Casilio: a versatile CRISPR-Cas9-Pumilio hybrid for gene regulation and genomic labeling. Cell Research 26:254–257. doi: 10.1038/cr.2016.3 PMID:26768771 (co-corresponding) IF=46.3
  10. Cheng, A.W.#, Shi, J.#, Wong, P.#, Luo, K.L., Trepman, P., Wang, E.T., Choi, H., Burge, C.B., Lodish, H.F.* (2014) Muscleblind-like 1 (Mbnl1) regulates pre-mRNA alternative splicing during terminal erythropoiesis. Blood doi: 10.1182/blood-2013-12-542209 PMID: 24869935 IF=25.48
  11. Cheng, A.W.#, Wang, H.#, Yang, H, Shi, L., Katz, Y., Theunissen, T.W., Rangarajan, S., Shivalila, C.S., Dadon, D.B., Jaenisch, R.* (2013) Multiplexed activation of endogenous genes by CRISPR-on, an RNA-guided transcriptional activator system. Cell Research 23(10):1163-71 PMID: 23979020 IF=46.3
  12. Yang, H.#, Wang, H.#, Shivalila, C.S.#, Cheng, A.W., Shi, L., Jaenisch, R.* (2013). One-step generation of mice carrying reporter and conditional alleles by CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome engineering. Cell 154(6):1370-9 PMID: 23992847
  13. Wang, H.#, Yang, H.#, Shivalila, C.S.#, Dawlaty, M.M., Cheng, A.W., Zhang, F., Jaenisch, R.* (2013). One-step generation of mice carrying mutations in multiple genes by CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome engineering. Cell 153(4):910-8 PMID: 23643243
  14. Buganim, Y.#, Faddah D.A.#, Cheng, A.W., Itskovich, E., Markoulaki, S., Gantz, K., Klemm S.L., van Oudenaarden A., Jaenisch, R.* (2012) Single-Cell Expression Analyses during Cellular Reprogramming Reveal an Early Stochastic and a Late Hierarchic Phase. Cell 150(6):1209-22 PMID: 22980981
  15. Shapiro, I.M.#, Cheng, A.W.#, Flytzanis, N.C., Balsamo, M., Condeelis, J.S., Oktay, M.H., Burge, C.B.*, Gertler, F.B.* (2011) An EMT-driven alternative splicing program occurs in human breast cancer and modulates cellular phenotype. PLoS Genet. 7(8):e1002218 PMID: 21876675 (co-first) IF=6.02
  16. Creyghton, M.P.#, Cheng A.W.#, Welstead, G.G., Kooistra, T., Carey, B.W., Steine, E.J., Hanna, J., Lodato, M.A., Frampton, G.M., Sharp, P.A., Boyer, L.A., Young, R.A.*, Jaenisch, R.* (2010) Histone H3K27ac separates active from poised enhancers and predicts developmental state. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107(50):21931-6 PMID: 21106759 (co-first) IF=12.78