Guang Yao, PhD

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Associate Professor, Molecular & Cellular Biology
Biography
Dr. Yao has a broad background in cancer systems biology, with specific training and expertise in cancer pathway modeling and experimental testing. His Ph.D. training at UW-Madison was in cancer biology with additional emphasis on computational biology. By coupling modeling and experiments, his postdoctoral work at Duke demonstrated the first natural bistable system in mammalian cells, the Rb-E2F bistable switch that controls cell quiescence and proliferation, and help identified oncogenic pathway signatures as a guide to targeted therapies. He focuses his work at studying gene regulation and cell signaling networks by integrating experimental biology with quantitative science, to dissect complex biological systems in cancer.
Cancer Focus
Dr. Yao's research is primarily focused on investigating the gene network "switches" that control cancer cell dormancy and growth. By combining single-cell and -omics measurements with mathematical and machine learning models, he seeks to unravel the intricate and heterogeneous biological systems underlying cancer dormancy, drug resistance, relapse, and metastasis.
Selected Publications
Fujimaki, K., R. Li, H. Chen, K. Della Croce, H. Helen Zhang, J. Xing, F. Bai, and G. Yao, "Graded regulation of cellular quiescence depth between proliferation and senescence by a lysosomal dimmer switch.", Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 116, issue 45, pp. 22624-22634, 2019 11 05. PMCID: PMC6842626 PMID: 31636214
Dai, J., M. A. Miller, N. J. Everetts, X. Wang, P. Li, Y. Li, J-H. Xu, and G. Yao, "Elimination of quiescent slow-cycling cells via reducing quiescence depth by natural compounds purified from Ganoderma lucidum.", Oncotarget, vol. 8, issue 8, pp. 13770-13781, 2017 Feb 21. PMCID: PMC5355137 PMID: 28099150
Wang, X., K. Fujimaki, G. C. Mitchell, J. Sarah Kwon, K. Della Croce, C. Langsdorf, H. Helen Zhang, and G. Yao, "Exit from quiescence displays a memory of cell growth and division.", Nat Commun, vol. 8, issue 1, pp. 321, 2017 08 22. PMCID: PMC5567331 PMID: 28831039
Kwon, J. Sarah, N. J. Everetts, X. Wang, W. Wang, K. Della Croce, J. Xing, and G. Yao, "Controlling Depth of Cellular Quiescence by an Rb-E2F Network Switch.", Cell Rep, vol. 20, issue 13, pp. 3223-3235, 2017 Sep 26. PMID: 28954237
Yao, G., "Modelling mammalian cellular quiescence.", Interface Focus, vol. 4, issue 3, pp. 20130074, 2014 Jun 06. PMCID: PMC3996586 PMID: 24904737