Lu Lab @ Yale
Meet the Team
Principal Investigator
The completion of the human genome project leads to the realization that only a small percentage of our heritable DNA sequences encodes proteins. Instead of being “junk DNA”, a significant portion of the noncoding genome has functions, in the forms of non-coding RNAs, binding sites for protein factors or other functional sequences. These noncoding elements often cross-talk with epigenetic machinery to regulate cell fate and behavior.
In our laboratory, we use the amazing blood-forming system, or hematopoiesis, as a model to study the noncoding and epigenetic controls.
There are several areas that my lab is currently focusing on. First, we are excited about a new class of noncoding RNAs that are presented on the outer cell surface with glycosylation modifications. We recently revealed the first known function of these glycoRNAs in the setting of neutrophil biology. There are many questions that await answers, including glycoRNAs' functions in other cellular systems, their mechanisms of biogenesis and regulation, and their translational and therapeutic potentials. Second, we are interested in understanding why and how differentiated cell types adopt special morphologies. We are currently studying the morphology of the neutrophil nucleus, which becomes non-spherical during differentiation from stem and progenitor cells. Third, we investigate general principles of cancers and their cross talk with immune cells.
Associate Research Scientist
Yadong Wang, PhD
Yadong received his Ph.D. in biology at Nanjing University in 2017 and joined the Lu lab as a postdoc in 2018. He is interested in studying the seedless site function in miRNA-mediated target repression and the biogenesis of glycoRNAs. Outside of the lab, Yadong enjoys traveling and cooking food.
Postdoctoral Associate
Ningning Zhang, PhD
Ningning earned his Ph.D. from the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he studied the mechanisms of RNA environmental adaptation in extremely thermophilic Archaea. He has been a postdoctoral associate in the Lu lab since June 2021. In the Lu lab, his research focuses on understanding the biogenesis and biological functions of glycoRNAs. His recent work uncovered the critical role of cell surface glycoRNAs in neutrophil recruitment to inflammatory sites, mediated through the recognition of P-selectin on endothelial cells. He also
demonstrated that glycoRNAs are remarkably stable on the cell surface and are produced and transported there in a cell-autonomous manner. Furthermore, he found that knockdown of murine Sidt genes, putative RNA transporters, eliminate neutrophil glycoRNAs and phenocopies the functional loss of cell surface RNAs. Ningning’s contributions to the field have been recognized with several prestigious honors, including the 2024 Joan and Tom Steitz RNA Fellowship, the 2023 ASH Abstract Achievement Award, and the 2024 Genetics Retreat Outstanding Poster Award.
Postdoctoral Associate
Haoyang Wei, PhD
Haoyang received his Ph.D. from Yale and is now a postdoctoral associate at Lu Lab. He studies the role of glycoRNAs in diseases and is developing new tools for glycoRNA research. He loves singing and playing volleyball.
Graduate Student
Yasmeen Ajaj
Yasmeen is a Genetics PhD candidate and has been a member of the Lu Lab since March 2021. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology where she conducted research in the lab of Dr. Jens Lykke-Andersen investigating eukaryotic deadenylases. Concurrently, Yasmeen interned at Takeda Pharmaceuticals with a preclinical team developing therapeutics for inflammatory bowel disease. After graduating from UCSD, she worked as a Postbaccalaureate IRTA at the National Institutes of Health under Dr. Robert Crouch investigating the role of RNase H2 in embryonic development.
In the Lu Lab, Yasmeen’s thesis work dissects the functional importance, ultrastructure, and topological paths of neutrophil nuclear morphogenesis, employing mouse models, in vitro models, and a plethora of imaging modalities. She is the recipient of the 2021 NSF GRFP award for Genetics. In addition to her thesis work, Yasmeen is passionate about about life sciences entrepreneurship, having worked as a Yale-Canaan Fellow in 2023-2024, and now as a Yale Ventures Blavatnik Fellow for 2024-2024, and concurrently does free-lance life sciences consulting. She currently is acting Co-VP of Outreach at the Yale Biotech Club. Outside of the lab, Yasmeen enjoys traveling the world, boating along the New England coastline, growing a brand-new medspa with her husband, conquering the ski slopes (or at least trying!), and is currently learning how to golf.
Graduate Student
Dingyao Zhang
Dingyao Zhang received his B.S. in Biological Science from Sun Yat-sen University, with a minor in Statistics. During his undergraduate, he studied bioinformatics with Dr. Jianhua Yang, focusing on projects related to microRNA and alternative processing. After graduation, he worked as a postgraduate associate at Yale University in Lu lab. Following his postgraduate associate training, Dingyao joined the Yale Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CBB) program and is now a fourth-year Ph.D. student, co-supervised by Jun and Dr. Mark Gerstein. His research focuses on the utilization of computational tools to study RNA biology. Outside the lab, Dingyao Zhang enjoys video games, delicious food, and sleeping.
Graduate Student
Laura (Luoyi) Li
Laura received her B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Johns Hopkins University. During her time at Hopkins, she worked in Dr. Xin Chen’s lab on asymmetric stem cell division. After graduating, she began her PhD at Yale University and is now a third-year PhD student in Dr. Jun Lu’s lab. Her research focuses on glycoRNA’s role in the immune system. Outside of the lab, Laura enjoys traveling and photography.
Undergraduate Student
Joanna Chen
Originally from Jefferson City, Missouri, Joanna is an undergraduate senior at Yale University, working toward a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She has been a member of Dr. Jun Lu's lab since her sophomore year and began as a STARS scholar, a Yale-funded program. Her research investigates the functional effects that altering HOX gene expression has on cancer cells. Outside of lab, Joanna enjoys cooking and trying new foods, running, and throwing pottery.
Undergraduate Student
Hengxi Li
Hengxi Li is an undergraduate majoring in Biological Sciences at Nanjing University and is currently a research intern in the Lu Lab at Yale. She is studying the mechanisms behind the unique nuclear morphology of neutrophils. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and photography.
Previous Members
Building off the science of our previous colleagues!
Vadim Kurbatov, MD, PhD
Graduate Student
Ana Laura Bernhard Beal
Post Baccalaureate Associate
Xujun Wang, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Jingru Tian, PhD
Graduate Student