Related Disease: Monogenic Diabetes

Dr. Dong received his Biology Bachelor of Science degree in 1996 from the University of California, Irvine, where he was involved in molecular evolution and limb regeneration research. He earned his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2002, investigating cell/tissue identity master regulatory genes. His postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco was focused on developmental genetics of the liver and pancreas.

Dr. Dong was recruited as an Assistant Professor to Sanford Burnham Prebys in 2008. He is a recipient of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Award and the W. M. Keck Foundation Award, which funds the development of in vivo lineage reprogramming technologies to generate replacement cells and organs directly within a living vertebrate.

Education

BS, Biology, University of California, Irvine
PhD, Cell & Molecular Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Postdoctoral Fellow, Genetics and Development, University of California, San Francisco

Related Disease
Alagille Syndrome, Congenital Diseases, Degenerative Diseases, Liver Diseases, Monogenic Diabetes, Pancreas Diseases, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes

Phenomena or Processes
Aging, Human Evolution, Organogenesis, Regenerative Medicine

Anatomical Systems and Sites
Developmental Biology, Synthetic Cell Biology

Techniques and Technologies
Developmental Genetics, Disease Genetics

Our objective is to uncover fundamental insight into basic and biomedical science through rigorous investigation of the genetic mechanisms governing organogenesis and diseases. We have discovered multiple genes critical for generating liver and pancreas cells and have created novel animal models for diseases such as diabetes and Alagille Syndrome. These unique experimental models have been yielded mechanistic insight and potential new therapeutic avenues. Further, we have demonstrated for the first time that a cell’s identity can be reprogrammed to convert into a completely unrelated lineage, without their removal from the body (in vivo) and without passage through a stem cell intermediate. This in vivo lineage reprogramming breakthrough may lead to a vast new and safer source of replacement cells for degenerative diseases and injuries. Ultimately, we aim to develop genetic technologies to improve human health and advance human biology.

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