Project Summary
During my PhD, I used skeletal myogenesis as my model to dissect signal transduction and gene
regulation mechanisms. I have obtained technical literacy over a wide range of molecular biology and
biochemical tools, accumulated critical experience on genetic mouse models, and developed critical and
analytical thinking skills in experimental biology. I also came to appreciate the power of functional genomics,
My so far 4.5-year's postdoc training focuses on interrogating molecular drivers in skin tumorigenesis
fueled by stem cells, applying principles of functional genomics in mouse models, and validating findings in
human clinic samples and xenografts. These training had expanded my research horizon, matured my
experimental skills, and laid groundwork for me to ask important questions in human diseases.
As I extend my training due to unexpected family difficulties, it would be essential for me to acquire
additional scientific and academic skills that will enable me to gain full research autonomy and develop an
innovative basic research program addressing fundamental questions in development and diseases. Over the
past decades, we start to understand some of the molecular mechanisms involved in wound repair. We have
also acquired substantial insights into oncogenic and tumor suppressive pathways in cancer. However, despite
the long posited hypothesis that cancer is a wound that never heals, it is still unclear whether wounds and
cancer functionally rely on the same stress components and if so, at which point they diverge. These are the
primary focus of my current and future proposed research. I will establish and expand tools based on non-
germline genetically engineered mosaic mouse models using in utero transduced CRISPR reagents. I will
apply functional genomic approaches to prioritize and screen a focused list of stress relevant genes in driving
wound repair and cancer. I will delineate molecular mechanisms that steer the long sought bifurcation point
between the two stress conditions, and validate the physiological relevance of top my candidate stress genes
in human samples. This knowledge will add to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms during cellular
stress, and help to improve therapeutic treatments in skin wounds, hyperplasic diseases, and cancer.
With the stimulating atmosphere provided by the Fuchs lab, the Rockefeller University, the Tri-
Institution, and the broader NYC scientific community, I found myself positioned within an exceptional
environment to pursue my ambition. If awarded, I will further obtain training in 1) technical skills – sequencing,
advanced microscopy, CRISPR technology; and 2) personal development – writing, communication, mentoring,
leadership, and management. My goal is, during the final years of K01, land in an independent tenure-track
position with top-tier vibrating environment, especially those with an intensive emphasis on non-coding biology,
where I will establish my own innovative, viable and sustainable research program in skin diseases and cancer.