Guang Yao, PhD

Cancer Biology Program

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.