SGS: Bing Zhu - Regulatory mechanisms of heterochromatin

Prof Zhu's lab investigates epigenetic mechanisms that enable the development and maintenance of complex multicellular organisms. Their research centers on understanding how cells with identical DNA can differentiate into various cell types while maintaining their specific identities across generations through epigenetic regulation. The lab focuses on three main research areas: (1) exploring the dual nature of epigenetic systems that provide both plasticity for cell differentiation and inheritability for maintaining cell identity, (2) investigating how histone modifications are inherited during cell division using advanced techniques like mass spectrometry and high-throughput sequencing, and (3) studying the regulation of chromatin modifying enzymes, with potential applications in drug development targeting proteins like HDACs and PRC2. Through this work, they aim to uncover fundamental principles governing cellular differentiation and identity maintenance in multicellular organisms.

Prof. Bing Zhu is investigator at Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dr. Zhu received his Bachelor degree in Zhejiang University (1992), Ph.D. in Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (1999). He then received his postdoc training in Friedrich Miescher Institute, Switzerland (1999-2002) and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA (2002-2006). Dr. Zhu established his own research lab in the National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing in 2006 and joined the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Science in 2014. He is also an International Early Career Scientist of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and an editorial board member of J. Biol. Chem.