Our research program, Regeneration Genomics, seeks to develop and deploy innovative genomics approaches to understand how cells integrate regulatory information from inside and outside the cell to control cell fate during development and regeneration, and how disruption of these processes contributes to aging and degenerative disease.

We approach these questions from two complementary directions. Inside the cell, we study how the regulatory genome, including enhancers, transposable elements, chromatin-associated proteins, epigenetic modifications, and three-dimensional genome organization, controls gene expression and cell-fate transitions. Outside the cell, we investigate how the tissue microenvironment, including immune cells, mesenchymal stromal cells, extracellular signals, and mechanical cues, controls embryonic and muscle stem-cell behavior. Together, these studies form our “IN-N-OUT” view of regeneration biology and medicine. Moreover, we have been developing cutting-edge genomics technologies that advance both our own research and the broader scientific community.

The Diao lab was established in Sep 2018 at Duke Cell Biology. Over the past five years, our work has contributed to three major areas: (1) delineating the function and regulation of non-coding regulatory DNA, including transposable elements, in controlling pluripotent and muscle stem cell fate (JCB 2023; Nat Genet 2023; Nat Cell Biol 2025); (2) uncovering how muscle stem-cell niche populations, including macrophages and fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs), contribute to muscular dystrophy and peripheral artery disease (Genome Medicine 2023; JVS-VS 2025; Cell Stem Cell 2026; Nat Comm, revision); and (3) developing new 3D-genome, proteomic, and single-cell multi-omic technologies to map chromatin architecture and protein–DNA interactions (Mol Cell 2022; Nat Genet 2023; Nat Biotech 2026).

As a team of cell biologists and genomic scientists, we integrate molecular, cellular, genomic, genetic, and computational approaches with patient biopsies, organoids, and genetically engineered mouse models. Our goal is not only to make fundamental discoveries about gene regulation and regenerative biology, but also to translate these insights into innovative therapeutic strategies. Equally important, we are committed to providing a rigorous and supportive training environment for the next generation of scientists, including undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows.