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Revision as of 16:41, 22 December 2022

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Introduction of the Zhang Laboratory

We are part of the Department of Systems Biology, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, and the Motor Neuron Center at Columbia University Medical Center.

We are fascinated by the complexity of the mammalian nervous system and its underlying molecular mechanisms. While mammals have a similar number of genes compared to phenotypically simpler organisms (such as worms), one apparent feature of mammalian genes is their more complicated gene structures, providing an opportunity for sophisticated regulation at the RNA level.

The focus of the Zhang lab is to dissect RNA regulatory networks in the nervous system as a way to understand the mammalian complexity manifested in evolutionary-developmental (evo-devo) processes and in several neuronal disorders. The lab has a mixed dry and wet setup, and takes a multidisciplinary approach that tightly integrates high-throughput biochemistry, genomics and computational approaches applied to mouse models and in vitro neuronal differentiation systems from pluripotent stem cells. On the mechanistic side, the Zhang lab focuses on fundamental understanding of the targeting specificity of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), how they regulate alternative splicing in various cellular contexts, especially in the nervous system, and how such regulation can be disrupted by mutations and genetic variations. On the functional side, the lab aims to uncover the roles of RBPs in determining the neuronal cell fate, morphological and functional properties during neural differentiation and maturation. The lab has also been working on translating fundamental knowledge on RNA regulation to precision genetic medicine, with a particular focus on multiple devastating monogenic diseases affecting the central nervous system.


Zhang lab photo, 2022 @ Columbia University Irving Medical Center


Lab News

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  • 12/14/2022. Welcome Jessica Estrada, who joined the lab recently as a technician.
  • 09/28/2022. The Zhang lab received a prestigious Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) (R35) from NIH/NIGMS and R56 award from NHGRI.
  • 09/28/2022. Welcome Yow-Tyng (Tim) Yeh to join the lab as a postdoc!
  • 09/16/2022. The Zhang lab held annual BBQ to celebrate 10th anniversary and Melissa Campbell's new faculty position.
  • 07/14/2022. Welcome Paola Rincheti and Suvrajit Maji, who started as postdoc in the lab recently.
  • 07/06/2022. This is belated news. Check out our preprint on structural based prediction of protein-RNA photo-crosslinking released a few weeks ago.


Where We Are

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Columbia University Irving Medical Center (image credit: internet)

Washington Height, NYC (image credit: @KellyrKopp/twitter)