Postdoctoral Fellow/Project Scientist 2014-2021

Previous training: University of Miami and Fudan University
Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are a superior source for obtaining skeletal muscle progenitor cells (SMPCs) for treating muscle disorders such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). My project is focusing on devloping an efficient and defined protocol to differentiate hPSCs to generate SMPCs following developmental myogenesis and understand the indentity of the in vitro-derived SMPCs. To achieve this, I am building transcriptional profiles of distinct myogenic populations during early human myogenesis to guide better differentiation of SMPCs from hPSCs. At the same time, I am also constructing myogenic marker reporter lines to enable high throughput screening for unbiased discovery of candidates to improve differentiation. The ultimate goal is to use hPSC-derived SMPCs in cell transplantation therapy to cure DMD.

Awards:  BSCRC Travel Award, CDMD Elevator Pitch Award Recipient

Current Position: Senior Scientist, Poseida Therapeutics, San Diego, CA