I’m a geneticist with a passion for developing new therapeutic interventions that integrate original discoveries in developmental biology and disease pathophysiology with cutting-edge biotechnology. In my lab, we are particularly interested in rare inherited disorders. Our main research focus is translational medicine to advance scientific insights and treatment options for the defects in the central nervous system (CNS), the organ most resistant to therapeutic interventions due to the relative impermeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
I obtained my PhD in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology & Genetics at the University of Minnesota, where I gained broad experience in neuronopathic genetic disorders such as neurological lysosomal storage diseases (nLSD), stem cell gene transfer, viral vector-mediated gene therapy and preclinical studies in animal models. My subsequent work in a Phase I/II clinical trial of lymphocyte gene therapy and serving as a core director and a co-investigator for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Program Project Grants further fortified my belief and continuous pursuits in developing novel treatment approaches by combining translational and basic research.
Pan Lab research comprises three main areas of discovery. The first is to understand the landscape and roles of neuroinflammation and the remodeling of neurovascular units (e.g., BBB) in the brain pathogenesis of nLSD. The second is to identify potential new therapeutic targets or disease-modifier gene(s) that could influence disease progression. The third is to develop new strategies to improve CNS efficacy and reduce side effects/toxicity in viral vector-mediated stem cell and gene therapies.
Some of the notable discoveries my team and I have made include:
My research team has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), industrial sponsors, societies and seed initiatives from Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Cincinnati. I am actively involved in committees of regional, national and international scientific societies. I’m on the editorial board of several scientific journals and serve as an academic editor for Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy. I also serve on NIH study sections and several international grant review agencies.
I began working at Cincinnati Children’s in 2003. I have over 23 years of experience in genetics, neuroscience, biotechnology and preclinical studies. I believe deeply in the golden bond between education and the future of science. My lab has supported trainees at all levels, from undergraduate students to postdoctoral researchers with various ethnic backgrounds. We always seek hard-working people with curious minds to join our team.
BS: Peking Normal University, Beijing, China, 1988.
MS: Peking Normal University, Beijing, China, 1991.
PhD: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 1997.
Hematopoietic stem cells; mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells; gene therapy; human genetics; translational research; lysosomal storage diseases
Viral vector-mediated gene therapy; stem cell therapy; neurological lysosomal storage diseases; neuroinflammation, BBB remodeling and immunotherapy in inherited neurological disorders; CNS drug delivery
Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cancer and Blood Diseases
Normalization and improvement of CNS deficits in mice with Hurler syndrome after long-term peripheral delivery of BBB-targeted iduronidase. Molecular Therapy. 2014; 22:2028-2037.
Platelets are efficient and protective depots for storage, distribution, and delivery of lysosomal enzyme in mice with Hurler syndrome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA. 2014; 111:2680-2685.
Engineering a lysosomal enzyme with a derivative of receptor-binding domain of apoE enables delivery across the blood-brain barrier. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA. 2013; 110:2999-3004.
K-Cl cotransporter gene expression during human and murine erythroid differentiation. The Journal of biological chemistry. 2011; 286:30492-30503.
Reprogramming erythroid cells for lysosomal enzyme production leads to visceral and CNS cross-correction in mice with Hurler syndrome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA. 2009; 106:19958-19963.
In vivo gene transfer into adult stem cells in unconditioned mice by in situ delivery of a lentiviral vector. Molecular Therapy. 2006; 14:514-524.
A multifaceted evaluation of microgliosis and differential cellular dysregulations of mTOR signaling with fluctuating lysosome function in neuronopathic Gaucher disease. Molecular Genetics and Metabolism. 2023; 138:107366.