Time to Target the Circadian Rhythm for Drug Discovery
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
About the Event:
Circadian rhythms govern many physiological processes and have been linked to diseases such as cancer and metabolic disorders. Pharmacological manipulation of circadian rhythms can have profoundly different effects depending on whether the positive or negative arm of the loop is targeted and in which direction. In this talk, Dr. Guan will discuss how to identify key regulators and potential drug targets for circadian medicine.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Dongyin Guan is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Scholar. Prior to his current appointment, he was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Mitchell A. Lazar (University of Pennsylvania). During that time, Dr. Guan accumulated a broad background in gene regulation, circadian rhythms, genetics, and bioinformatics. Based on genome-wide circadian enhancer mapping, he identified transcription regulatory networks controlling circadian rhythm remodeling responses to nutrition. He found targeting a key regulatory transcription factor, PPAR-alpha, at a specific time of day can improve drug efficacy, indicating a pre-clinical demonstration of circadian medicine (Cell, 2018). Dr. Guan further adapted single-cell RNAseq techniques and conducted the first single-nucleus RNAseq in the liver, which allowed him to discover intra-liver clock communication (Science, 2020 and J Clin Invest, 2023). The overarching goal of his research program was to dissect interactions between the environment and genetic variation that control circadian physiology. Dr. Dongyin Guan ultimate hope is to use this knowledge to identify pathways that pave the way for circadian medicine approaches and nutritional interventions based on an individual’s genetic background. For his research efforts, he assembled a team consisting of postdoctoral fellows with expertise in bioinformatics and functional studies. Additionally, Dr. Dongyin Guan established collaborations with a CRISPR bioengineering laboratory, physician-scientists, and human organoid core facilities.
Contact Info:
For more information, contact Nadine Peterson, DDI Coordinator
A Zoom link will be sent to registrants before the start of the webinar.
- Location
- Hybrid: Room 3078, Health 2 and Online
- Cost
- Free