Xiao Wang (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University)

The intricate network of cell functions relies on gene expression programs. At the core of this process lies the RNA life cycle, which deciphers both the protein-coding and regulatory DNA sequences, ensuring protein products are synthesized in the right place at the right time. To better understand RNA-centered gene regulation, we first need a panoramic view of the whole mRNA life cycle directly within intact cells and tissues, encompassing synthesis, processing, transport, and translation, and degradation, which is currently obscured by limited analytical tools. In my presentation, I will first introduce our tool development of novel spatiotemporal measurements at unprecedented resolution and scale using in situ sequencing to probe and perturb the intricate dynamics of the RNA life cycle. Beyond mapping the RNA life cycle in heath and disease, I will also discuss how we have translated our knowledge of post-transcriptional gene regulation principles into next-generation RNA vectors and drugs by expanding and engineering the alphabet, structure, and topology of synthetic RNAs with unnatural chemical modifications.

Xiao Wang is a core institute member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at MIT. She started her lab in 2019 to develop and apply new chemical, biophysical, and genomic tools to better understand tissue function and dysfunction at the molecular level. Wang joined the MIT and Broad after conducting postdoctoral research at Stanford University Bioengineering with Professor Karl Deisseroth, where she was a fellow of the Life Sciences Research Foundation. Wang received her B.S. in Chemistry and Molecular Engineering from Peking University and her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Chicago with Professor Chuan He.