Bang-An Wang

Dr. Bang-An Wang is an Assistant Professor in Van Andel Institute’s Department of Neurodegenerative Science, focusing on epigenetic mechanisms in brain development and neurodegenerative disorders. He leads the Wang Laboratory, which develops innovative single-cell multi-omics technologies to study epigenetic regulation in Alzheimer’s disease and aging. Previously, he earned his B.S. from Shandong University and Ph.D. from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, followed by postdoctoral work at the Salk Institute under Dr. Joseph Ecker. His team co-developed the snmCAT-seq method, a groundbreaking single-cell multi-omics tool used in major initiatives like the NIH BRAIN Initiative and Chan Zuckerberg Human Cell Atlas.

Educations:

• B.S. in Biochemistry, Shandong University
• Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Research Focus: Dr. Wang’s work integrates experimental and computational approaches to understand how epigenetic changes influence brain cell diversity and neurodegeneration. Key areas include:

• Epigenetic crosstalk between DNA/RNA/chromatin modalities
• Development of tools targeting brain cell-specific epigenetic regulation
• Identification of age-related gene regulatory elements in human neurons

Impact & Awards:

• Recipient of the 2018 Salk Innovation Award
• Featured in China’s Top 10 Scientific Advances (2016, 2012)
• Co-developed snmCAT-seq, enabling high-resolution multi-omics profiling

Lab Team: Includes Senior Administrative Assistant Jamie Durst, Research Technicians Karianne Reynolds and Ellianna Sempek. Collaborates with institutions like the NIH, Salk Institute, and Allen Institute.