Rong Fan, Ph.D.

A GEN-led panel conversation on spatial biology technology highlights the importance of community—not just among cells, but also among scientists

When the sober-minded describe spatial biology, they use words such as fledgling, growing, and maybe even exciting. But perhaps more enthusiasm—and words such as revolutionary and transformative—are in order. Yes, the basic idea behind spatial biology has been around for decades. Put simply, this is the idea that single-cell analysis should reflect how cells are organized in tissues. As familiar as this idea may seem, the toolkit to explore tissues spatially has been limited. But new technologies are making spatial biology a reality, ushering the field into a whole new era. Doesn’t that justify words that might otherwise seem hyperbolic?

To convey the passion surrounding spatial biology, GEN hosted a panel discussion titled, “How Spatial Biology is Revolutionizing Single-Cell Genomics.” It originally aired on October 18 as an episode of GEN Live, our science talk show. And it is still available to anyone who wants to hear about the current status of spatial biology, the impact the technology is making on research (and perhaps one day, patients), and the challenges it faces as it moves forward… Continue reading.

To understand how cells behave, researchers also need to understand the molecules that make them work. “If someone wants to know how the kidney functions, they have to know what’s going on inside the kidney cells,” says Yang Liu, PhD, assistant professor of pathology. “This is defined by the protein activity.”

But most spatial transcriptome sequencing studies don’t include the proteins, leaving out vital information about the mechanisms of disease progression. Now, in their latest study, a Yale team performed a high-plex protein and whole-transcriptome co-mapping that measured nearly 300 proteins and transcriptome in human tissues. They published their findings in Nature Biotechnology on February 23… Continue reading.

When the COVID-19 vaccine first became available, people eagerly signed up for coveted slots to boost their antibodies against the virus that shut down much of the world. But not everyone who rolled up their sleeve received equal protection from illness.

A significant proportion of the population has weakened immune systems, including cancer patients, those with autoimmune disease, and organ transplant recipients. The immune systems of these individuals are unable to ward off disease as effectively, and their responses to vaccines are not as robust. Now, Yale researchers have received a $12 million award from the NIH as part of the Human Immune Project Consortium (HIPC) to study vaccine responses in vulnerable groups, including patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) undergoing B cell depletion therapy, older adults including particularly vulnerable older residents of long-term care facilities, and individuals with sickle cell disease who have substantial and potentially disabling morbidity and early mortality for whom fundamental challenges to improve clinical outcomes remain… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of Rong Fan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, to its College of Fellows.

Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to a medical and biological engineer. The College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering and medicine research, practice, or education” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.”

Dr. Fan was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for “outstanding contribution to the development and commercialization of single-cell high-plex cytokine profiling technologies and the impact on cancer immunotherapy.”