Lei (Stanley) Qi

Dr. Lei (Stanley) Qi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University, with affiliations as an Institute Scholar at Sarafan ChEM-H and an Investigator at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub. His work focuses on CRISPR technologies for genome and epigenome engineering.

• B.S., Tsinghua University, Math and Physics (2005)
• M.A., University of California, Berkeley, Physics (2007)
• Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley/UCSF, Bioengineering (2012)

Dr. Qi pioneered CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and activation (CRISPRa) through the development of nuclease-deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) systems. His lab has advanced technologies like MEGA (multiplexed transcriptome engineering), CRISPR-GO (3D genome manipulation), and Live-FISH for real-time enhancer-promoter interaction imaging. Current research explores

• Therapeutic epigenome editing for immune modulation, brain disorders, and aging reversal
• Functional spatial transcriptomics to decode RNA organization in disease
• Fundamental genome biology using live-cell imaging and AI to study 3D genome regulation

Recent publications highlight his group’s innovations in compact CRISPR systems (CasMINI), spatial RNA control in neurons, and therapeutic applications for neuromuscular diseases and cancer. His work bridges synthetic biology with medicine, emphasizing clinical translation and equitable biotechnology education via frugal CRISPR kits.

Labs & Collaborations: The Qi Lab collaborates with UCSF, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, and Sarafan ChEM-H to develop clinical CRISPR tools. They utilize AI and high-throughput methods to optimize gene regulation and study epigenetic principles.