Anny Xiaobo Zhou

I lead a research team with 5 Ph.D. and M.D. scientists to delve into functional genetics in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, two most prevalent respiratory diseases in both U.S and China. Recent GWAS in COPD and asthma have identified many novel candidate genes that can pinpoint to pathways and mechanisms not previously recognized in lung diseases. A critical step is to integrate in vitro and in vivo models as well as –omics measures and systems biological analysis to uncover the underlying biology of these novel genes. My research aims to elucidate the biological functions of genetic variants and candidate genes that were identified from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and eQTL analysis in COPD and asthma. I have developed and optimized a series of functional evaluation pipelines to assess function of genetic variants and their associated genes that can be generalized from respiratory diseases to other complex traits. This novel work built bridges between genetics, molecular biology, cell physiology, and pathobiology, which may ultimately lead to better treatments for COPD and asthma.

简介

作为一名细胞生物学家，我的 研究主要集中在慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）和哮喘功能性研究 。最近全基因组扫描（GWAS)在慢性阻塞性肺病和哮喘中已经发现多种新的候选基因，可以揭示以前没有发现的肺部疾病机制。我的研究旨在探索从全基因组扫描（GWAS）和eQTL分析发现的相关的基因在 慢性阻塞性肺病和哮喘发病中的功能。我2009组建了呼吸系后功能基因学重点实验室。自那以后，我们发展并优化了一系列相关的功能研究平台来发现功能性的单核甘多态性 （SNP）并且研究受这些SNP调节的基因功能。我们旨在 转化遗传学的研究成果去进一步理解疾病的发病机制，从而发展设计对慢性阻塞性肺病和哮喘最有针对性的治疗方案。