Our research program, ‘Regeneration Genomics’, is dedicated to unraveling the gene regulatory mechanisms that drive cell fate changes in development and regeneration. In our quest to decode the fundamental principles of gene regulation, I have been developing several cutting-edge genomic tools, such as CREST-seq, CARGO-BioID, HiCAR, and scHiCAR that benefit both our own research and the broader scientific community.

Since the starting of our lab at Duke Cell Biology in September 2018, we have been focused on both human pluripotent stem cells and muscle stem cells and their “niche” in regeneration, aging, and degenerative disorders, combining mechanistic studies with genomic technologies. Over the past five years, our recent discoveries include: (1) the pathological role of macrophage and FAPs in muscular dystrophy and Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) (Genome Medicine 2023, JVS-VS 2025, Nature Communications, minor revision); (2) single cell epigenomics and mechanistic analyses of muscle stem cell self-renewal fate (JCB 2023); (3) the impact of transposable elements on stem cell fate (Nature Genetics 2023, Nature Cell Biology 2025); and (4) the development of novel 3D genome, proteomics, and single cell multi-omics tools to map chromatin architecture and protein–DNA interactions (Molecular Cell 2022, Nature Genetics 2023, Nature Biotechnology, in press). In addition to our own research, our lab have also contributed to over 20 collaborative publications by providing our strong expertise in genomics, stem cell biology, regeneragion, and bioinformatics.

As a team of cell biologists and genomic scientists, we integrate comprehensive molecular, cellular, genomic, and genetic approaches with patient biopsies, organoids, and genetically engineered mouse models. By combining both experimental and computational methods, we aim not only to make fundamental discoveries but also to foster a rigorous and supportive training environment for the next generation of scientists. Our former technicians and undergraduate trainees have entered top graduate and medical schools; our PhD students have received prestigous research awards and advanced to postdoctoral positions at leading U.S. institutions; and our postdoctoral fellows have secured tenure-track faculty appointments or established successful careers in industry.