Welcome back to Gateway to Informatics, where we share the latest in informatics, research, and healthcare. In this third episode, hosted by Dr. Philip Payne, Chief Data Scientist at WashU Medicine and Director of I2DB, we explore the newest advancements and challenges in the field, focusing on AI and digital technologies to build healthier communities.
In this episode, Dr. Ting Wang shares his journey, inspired by the Human Genome Project and key mentors, and provides valuable advice for aspiring scientists. He explains the distinctions between genetics, genomics, computational biology, and bioinformatics, and discusses his pioneering research on genetic and epigenetic variations.
Dr. Wang is the inaugural Sanford C. and Karen P. Loewentheil Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Wang began his academic journey with an undergraduate degree from Peking University in Beijing, China, and later earned a PhD in Computational Biology from WashU. After a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Santa Cruz, he returned to WashU to establish his lab in the Department of Genetics and the Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology.
Dr. Wang is internationally recognized for his research on the genetic and epigenetic impacts of transposable elements (TE) on gene regulation. His work includes defining the role of TEs in the evolution of gene regulatory networks and the 3D genome architecture, and revealing that epigenetic dysregulation of TEs is a major driver of oncogenesis.
Integrating cutting-edge technologies, the Wang Lab investigates epigenetic determinants in development, regeneration, cancer, and evolution. They have developed widely-used DNA methylomics technologies and analytical tools, including the WashU Epigenome Browser, which is utilized globally to access vast genomic datasets. Dr. Wang also directs the NIH 4D Nucleome Network Data Coordination and Integration Center and the NIEHS Environmental Epigenomics Data Center.
Join us as we explore Dr. Wang’s groundbreaking research and insights that are shaping the future of genetics and genomics.