IAS Distinguished Lecture - Single Cell Genomics: Technological Revolution, Scientific Advances and Medical Applications

Abstract

In the past 15 years, it is fair to say that, due to the contributions of many research groups, single cell genomics has become a technological revolution that has changed the way biology and medicine are conducted. New technical advances, scientific understanding and clinical applications derived from this revolution continue to emerge. The speaker will present the latest work on preimplantation genetic testing, screening for broad-spectrum neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, as well as the mapping of transcription factor footprints in the human genome.


About the Speaker

Prof. Xiaoliang Sunney XIE is a world renown biophysical chemist. He received his BSc in chemistry from Peking University in 1984, and his PhD in physical chemistry in 1990 from UC San Diego. After a career at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, he became the first tenured professor at Harvard University among Chinese Scholars who came to the USA since the Reform in China. As a pioneer of single molecule biophysical chemistry, coherent Raman scattering microscopy, and single cell genomics, he made major contributions to the emergence of these fields. Furthermore, Prof. Xie has made significant advances on medical applications of label-free optical imaging and single cell genomics. In particular, his inventions have been used in in vitro fertilization and have benefited thousands of couples in China in avoiding the transmission of their monogenic diseases to their newborns. 

In addition, Prof. Xie has trained more than 100 graduate students and postdocs, many of whom have become professors at more than 40 major universities around the world. Since 2010, he has been the Director of Biodynamics Optical Imaging Center (BIOPIC) at Peking University, and in 2016 he became the Director of Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics (ICG). Prof. Xie is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the US National Academy of Medicine. Among his numerous honors are the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, the American Chemical Society’s Peter Debye Award and the Biophysical Society Founders’ Award.

As of April 2024, Prof. Xie has published over 230 papers, and H-Index is 127. Prof. Xie’s current research interests include scientific research, technological research, and medical research.