Lab Members
Our Staff
Dr. Ji-Eun Lee is a molecular biologist and a self-taught bioinformatician. She received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2007 from Seoul National University College of Medicine in Korea. Since joining the Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, Dr. Lee has made significant contributions to the field by identifying MLL3/MLL4 as histone H3K4 methyltransferases and characterizing their crucial roles in enhancer activation. Moving forward, her long-term research goal is to deepen our understanding of the coordinated actions of MLL3/MLL4 with other enhancer regulators.
Our Fellows
Dr. Young-Kwon Park received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Life Science at University of Seoul in 2013. Since joining the lab, he has been working on two projects: (1) transcriptional regulation of adipose tissue development and expansion and (2) the epigenomic regulation of enhancers to control cell-type-specific gene expression. His research primarily focuses on understanding epigenomic regulation of cell fate transition, with a particular emphasis on the role of chromatin remodeling complexes in regulating enhancer activation, cell differentiation and mouse development.
Dr. Guojia Xie received his Ph.D. in Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Peking University in 2017. His PhD project mainly focused on the subtype-selective regulation of hormone-responsive breast carcinogenesis by UTX, a specific member in MLL3/MLL4 complexes. In March 2018, he joined the Ge lab and continued to study the roles of MLL3/MLL4 complexes in embryonic development and cellular differentiation. Especially, he is interested in investigating how epigenetic regulators and the chromatin landscape coordinate to control cell fate transition during lineage commitment. By understanding the basic biological logic behind this, he intends to get more insights into the etiology and potential therapeutic targets for developmental diseases and cancers.
Dr. Danyang Wan received her Ph.D. in Cellular Biology from Wuhan University in 2018. Her research during her doctoral studies focused on the epigenetics of adipogenesis and metabolic diseases. Her thesis investigated the role of histone variant macroH2A in adipogenesis and high-fat diet-induced obesity. She joined Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section in September 2019 and continues her interests in histone variants and their chaperones in adipogenesis and adipose tissue function. She is also currently working on understanding the function of histone modifications H3K18ac and H3K27ac in cell fate decision and embryonic development.
Dr. Cuncun Ke received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from China Agricultural University in 2019. Her doctoral research was focused on verifying the receptor responsible for mediating the transfer of maternal IgG from females to the fetus. After completing her Ph.D., she joined the Joint National Laboratory for Antibody Drug Engineering, Henan University as a postdoctoral research fellow where she investigated human diseases such as cataracts and periodontitis. Since joining the Ge lab in October 2021, she has been investigating how H3K4 methyltransferases MLL1 and MLL2 regulate gene expression, cell differentiation, and mouse development.
Dr. Hieu Van received her Ph.D. in Genetics and Epigenetics from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. As a graduate student, she comprehended the importance of histone methylation and its modifiers in transcription and its implications in cancers. Her thesis specifically focused on biochemically and functionally characterizing two methyl lysine readers. She joined Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section in February 2022. She is determining the molecular model of lineage determining transcription factor (LDTF)-mediated enhancer activation, aiming to provide a holistic view of a coordinated network of transcriptional regulation and enhancer activation.
Ms. Christabelle Agyapong received her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. As an undergraduate student, she became very interested in research and developed her own research on the topics of the e-cigarette/vaping epidemic, COVID-19 pandemic, and public health through the MSU NIH ASCEND program. Her senior thesis specifically focused on the correlation of vaping and contracting COVID-19 in a historically Black University. She joined the Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section in August 2021. She continues building her research skills by assisting lab members with genotyping and mice management. She plans to continue her education by attending medical school in the near future.
Alumni
Current position: Group leader, Shanghai Pharmaceuticals, China
Current position: Ph.D. student, Yale University
Current position: M.D./Ph.D. student, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Current position: Associate Professor, Shenzhen University, China
Current position: Research and Development Associate, Regeneron
Current position: Ph.D. student, Harvard University
Current position: Assistant Professor, Changwon National University, Korea
Current position: Ph.D. student, Duke University
Current position: Ph.D. student, Emory University
Current position: Resident Physician, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Current position: Social Science Research Analyst, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation
Current position: Assistant Professor, Zhejiang University, China
Current position: Medical student, Columbia University
Current position: Senior Scientist, AstraZeneca
Current position: Associate Professor, Peking University, China
Current position: Staff Scientist, NCI
Current position: Chief Resident, Cleveland Clinic
Current position: Physician, Mount Sinai Hospital
Current position: Assistant Professor, Zhejiang University, China
Current position: Head of Product Analytics, Google Workspace
Current position: Registered Nurse, Included Health
Current position: Associate Director, Takeda
Current position: Director in Biomarker Discovery, Dunwill Medical, China
Current position: Machine Learning Engineering Manager, PathAI
Current position: Manager, ConvergeHEALTH by Deloitte
Current position: Radiologist, Guthrie Clinic
Current position: Contractor Molecular Biologist, NIDDK
Current position: Senior Research Associate, University of Miami
Group Photos
Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2023. Back left to right: Guojia Xie, Young-Kwon Park, Christabelle Agyapong, Hieu Van. Front left to right: Kai Ge, Cuncun Ke, Danyang Wan, Ji-Eun Lee.
Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2017.
Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2015.
Adipocyte Biology and Gene Regulation Section, 2012.