Professor and Investigator, State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China 2024-

Background:

B.S., Nankai University, China 2009-2013

Ph.D., Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Science, China 2013 - 2019

Postdoctoral fellow, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 2019-2023

Utilizing human embryonic stem cells and pluripotent stem cells to differentiate various tissue cells/organoids—including lung, liver, kidney, and pancreatic organoids—to construct physiologically relevant disease models can overcome the limitations of traditional cell lines in modeling complex human cell and organ systems. By simulating the initiation and progression of various organ-related diseases, and integrating multi-omics sequencing technologies with high-throughput drug screening platforms, this approach enables in-depth investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying diseases of the respiratory, digestive, immune, and metabolic systems, and facilitates the exploration of potential therapeutic strategies.

1. Investigating the impact of genetic background and variation on disease progression.

2. Establishing physiologically and pathologically relevant models using complex organoids.

3. Developing and validating potential therapeutic intervention strategies.

2019 President's Excellent Award of UCAS

2020-2023 NYSTEM Postdoctoral Fellowship

2022-Current Frontiers in Genetics, Associate Editor

2022-Current Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, Associate Editor

2022-Current Frontiers in Virology, Review Editor

1. Han Y^#, Duan X^#, Yang L^#, Nilsson-Payant BE^#, Wang P^#, Duan F^#, Tang X^#, Yaron TM^#, Zhang T, Uhl S, Bram Y, Richardson C, Zhu J, Zhao Z, Redmond D, Houghton S, Nguyen DT, Xu D, Wang X, Jessurun J, Borczuk A, Huang Y, Johnson JL, Liu Y, Xiang J, Wang H^#, Cantley LC^*, tenOever BR^*, Ho DD^*, Pan FC^*, Evans T^*, Chen HJ^*, Schwartz RE^* and Chen S^*. Identification of SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors using lung and colonic organoids. Nature. 2021; 589: 270-275.
2. Wang X^#, Xuan Y^#, Han Y^#, Ding X, Ye K, Yang F, Gao P, Goff SP and Gao G^*. Regulation of HIV-1 Gag-Pol Expression by Shiftless, an Inhibitor of Programmed-1 Ribosomal Frameshifting. Cell. 2019; 176:625-635 e14.
3. Han Y^#, Yang L^#, Lacko L and Chen S^*. Human Organoid Models to Study SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Perspective, Nature Methods. 2022; 4:418-428.
4. Yang L^#, Kim TW^#, Han Y^#, Nair MS^#, Harschnitz O^#, Zhu J^#, Wang P^#, Koo SY, Lacko LA, Chandar V, Bram Y, Zhang T, Zhang W, He F, Pan C, Wu J, Huang Y, Evans T, van der Valk P, Titulaer MJ, Spoor JKH, Furler O'Brien RL, Bugiani M, Van de Berg WDJ, Schwartz RE^*, Ho DD^*, Studer L^*, Chen S^*. SARS-CoV-2 infection causes dopaminergic neuron senescence. Cell Stem Cell. 2024; 31(2):196-211.e6.
5. Yang L^#, *, Han Y^#, Zhang T^#, Dong X, Ge J, Roy A, Zhu J, Lu T, Jeya Vandana J, de Silva N, Robertson CC, Xiang JZ, Pan C, Sun Y, Que J, Evans T, Liu C, Wang W, NajiA, Parker SCJ, Schwartz RE^* and Chen S^*. Human vascularized macrophage-islet organoids to model immune-mediated pancreatic beta cell pyroptosis upon viral infection. Cell Stem Cell. 2024; 31(11):1612-1629.e8.
6. Yang L^#, Kim TW^#, Han Y^#, Nair MS^#, Harschnitz O^#, Zhu J^#, Wang P^#, Koo SY, Lacko LA, Chandar V, Bram Y, Zhang T, Zhang W, He F, Pan C, Wu J, Huang Y, Evans T, van der Valk P, Titulaer MJ, Spoor JKH, Furler O'Brien RL, Bugiani M, W DJVdB, Schwartz RE^*, Ho DD^*, Studer L^* and Chen S^*. SARS-CoV-2 infection causes dopaminergic neuron senescence. Cell Stem Cell. 2024.
7. Yang L#, Han Y#, Zhou T#, Lacko LA, Saeed M, Tan C, Danziger R, Zhu J, Zhao Z, Cahir C, GianiAM, Li Y, Dong X, Moroziewicz D, Team NGSCA, Paull D, Chen Z, Zhong A, Noggle SA, Rice CM, Qi Q, Evans T and Chen S* . Isogenic human trophectoderm cells demonstrate the role of NDUFA4 and associated variants in ZIKV infection. iScience. 2023; 26:107001.
8. Han Y^#, Tan L^#, Zhou T^#, Yang L^#, Carrau L^#, Lacko LA, Saeed M, Zhu J, Zhao Z, Nilsson-Payant BE, Lira Neto FT, Cahir C, Giani AM, Chai JC, Li Y, Dong X, Moroziewicz D, Team NGSCA, Paull D, Zhang T, Koo S, Tan C, Danziger R, Ba Q, Feng L, Chen Z, Zhong A, Wise GJ, Xiang JZ, Wang H, Schwartz RE, tenOever BR, Noggle SA, Rice CM, Qi Q, Evans T and Chen S^*. A human iPSC-array-based GWAS identifies a virus susceptibility locus in the NDUFA4 gene and functional variants. Cell Stem Cell. 2022; 29:1475-1490 e6.
9. Han Y^#, Zhu J^#, Yang L^#, Nilsson-Payant BE^#, Hurtado R, Lacko L, Sun X, Gade AR, Higgins CA, Sisso WJ, Dong X, Wang M, Zhengming Chen, Ho DD, Pitt GS, Schwartz RE^*, tenOever BR^*, Evans T^* and Chen S^*. SARS-CoV-2 infection Induces Ferroptosis of Sinoatrial Node-like Pacemaker Cells. Circ Res. 2022; 130:963-977. Circulation Research Best Manuscript 2022.
10. Yang L^#, Han Y^#, Jaffre F^#, Nilsson-Payant BE^#, Bram Y^#, Wang P, Zhu J, Zhang T, Redmond D, Houghton S, Uhl S, Borczuk A, Huang Y, Richardson C, Chandar V, Acklin JA, Lim JK, Chen Z, Xiang J, Ho DD, tenOever BR^*, Schwartz RE^*, Evans T^* and Chen S^*. An Immuno-Cardiac Model for Macrophage-Mediated Inflammation in COVID-19 Hearts. Circ Res. 2021;129:33-46. Cover story.
11. Han Y^#, Leng D^#, Zhang T^#, Ge J, Fang Y, Lu T, Dong X, Nair MS, de Silva N, Han Z, Jiao T, Huang Y, Zhao M, Saqi A, Hibshoosh H, Meng Z, Xiang JZ, Pan C, Sun Y, Ho DD, Evans T, Liu J, Yang L^*, Que J^*, Chen S^*. A Human Immuno-Lung Organoid Model to Study Macrophage-Mediated Lung Cell Senescence Upon SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Advanced Science. 2025; 12, e03932.
12. Yang L^#, Nilsson-Payant BE^#, Han Y^#, Jaffré F^#, Zhu J^#, Wang P, Zhang T, Redmond D, Houghton S and Møller R, Hoagland D, Carrau L, Horiuchi S, Goff M, Lim JK, Bram Y, Richardson C, Chandar V, Borczuk A, Huang Y, Xiang J, Ho DD^*, Schwartz RE^*, tenOever BR, Evans T^* and Chen S^*. Cardiomyocytes Recruit Monocytes upon SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Secreting CCL2. Stem Cell Reports. 2021; Jul 20.
13. Yang L^#, Han Y^#, Nilsson-Payant BE^#, Gupta V^#, Wang P, Duan X, Tang X, Zhu J, Zhao Z, Jaffre F, Zhang T, Kim TW, Harschnitz O, Redmond D, Houghton S, Liu C, Naji A, Ciceri G, Guttikonda S, Bram Y, Nguyen DT, Cioffi M, Chandar V, Hoagland DA, Huang Y, Xiang J, Wang H, Lyden D, Borczuk A, Chen HJ, Studer L, Pan FC^*, Ho DD^*, tenOever BR^*, Evans T^*, Schwartz RE^* and Chen S^*. A Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-based Platform to Study SARS-CoV-2 Tropism and Model Virus Infection in Human Cells and Organoids. Cell Stem Cell. 2020; 27:125-136 e7. Best of Cell Stem Cell 2020.