School of Biomedical Sciences cordially invites you to join the following seminar:

Date: 25 April 2024 (Thursday)
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 2, G/F, William M.W. Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road

Speaker: Dr. Zhipeng Wang, Assistant Professor, Desai Sethi Urology Institute, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Talk Title: Exploring nucleosome deacylation catalyzed by class I HDAC complexes and sirtuins

Biography

Zhipeng, originally from Chongqing, China, completed his undergraduate studies at Tsinghua University in 2013. There, he focused on peptide synthesis and the development of orthogonal protecting groups under the mentorship of Dr. Lei Liu. He then pursued and obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University in 2018, guided by Dr. Wenshe R. Liu. During his doctoral studies, Zhipeng engaged in research combining amber codon suppression with bioorthogonal reaction development, specifically targeting lysine posttranslational modifications (PTMs). His deep interest in the biological functions of PTMs led him to delve further into biochemistry and enzymology for his postdoctoral work. From 2018 to 2024, Zhipeng worked as a post-doctoral fellow under Dr. Philip A. Cole at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, focusing his research on the epigenetic regulation of histones and nucleosomes. https://www.zawanglab.com/

Abstract
Aging and major diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration are intimately linked to genomic instability and epigenomic dysregulation, with post-translational modifications of histones and their regulatory enzymes playing a pivotal role. Histones, integral components of chromosomes, regulate DNA folding structure and gene transcription through the formation of nucleosomes. These histones undergo a variety of post-translational modifications, such as lysine acylation, methylation, ubiquitination, and serine phosphorylation. The complexity of their combinatorial patterns and the extensive enzymatic control over these processes have not been fully understood to this day.

Our research group will employ methods from synthetic chemistry, chemical biology, biochemistry, structural biology, and cell biology to delve into the molecular mechanisms of diseases from the perspective of molecular structure and function. This aids in the development of novel small molecule inhibitors or agonists as potential strategies for treating related diseases. Concurrently, we are dedicated to advancing innovative protein chemistry techniques to address some of the challenging questions in the field of life sciences.

ALL ARE WELCOME

Should you have any enquiries, please feel free to contact Miss Crystal Chan at 3917 6830.