Hening Lin

Hening Lin is a Professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Medicine-Genetic Medicine within the Biological Sciences Division. His research focuses on the function, regulation, and therapeutic targeting of enzymes that control protein post-translational modifications (PTMs). Dr. Lin leads an active laboratory studying how protein activities are regulated by cellular stress and signaling cues, with particular emphasis on developing small molecule inhibitors for therapeutic applications.

Dr. Lin's research interests span Chemical Biology, Organic Chemistry, and the study of protein post-translational modifications including palmitoylation, myristoylation, and acylation. His work explores how these modifications regulate protein function in critical cellular processes, with applications in cancer, autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions. His laboratory has made significant contributions to understanding the roles of sirtuins, particularly SIRT2, SIRT3, and HDAC11, in metabolic regulation and disease pathogenesis.

Analysis of Dr. Lin's recent publications reveals a strong focus on protein lipidation mechanisms, particularly palmitoylation and myristoylation, and their roles in immune signaling, cancer progression, and neurodegeneration. His work bridges chemical biology, biochemistry, and translational medicine, with numerous publications in high-impact journals demonstrating the therapeutic potential of targeting protein modification enzymes. His research spans fundamental biochemical mechanisms to preclinical therapeutic development.

Dr. Lin has secured substantial NIH funding as Principal Investigator for multiple grants, including R35GM131808 (Metabolite Sensing and Regulation of Protein Function) and R01DK119594 (Screening and Development of Small Molecule HDAC11 Inhibitors to Treat Obesity and Diabetes). He also serves as Co-Principal Investigator on several collaborative grants focused on cancer biology, inflammation, and metabolic diseases.

His laboratory is located in Room 4146 of the Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery at the University of Chicago, where his team employs chemical biology approaches, proteomics, and molecular biology techniques to investigate protein modification enzymes and develop targeted therapeutics.