Manyu Du

Manyu Du is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Penn State University, affiliated with the Eberly College of Science and the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences. He joined Penn State in February 2025 after completing postdoctoral research at MIT (2020–2021) and the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics (2021–2024). His doctoral studies in Biochemistry, Molecular and Microbiology were completed at Penn State in December 2019, following a bachelor's degree in Life Sciences from Wuhan University (2013).

Dr. Du's research focuses on understanding how transcription machineries and regulatory DNA elements organize in 3D nuclear structures to regulate gene expression. His lab investigates super-enhancers (SEs) and their roles in oncogene activation and developmental gene expression, leveraging cutting-edge techniques like single-molecule super-resolution imaging, lattice light-sheet microscopy, and biochemical assays. Key areas include transcriptional condensates in mouse embryonic stem cells and erythroid leukemia cells, as well as the interplay between phase separation and gene regulation.

His recent work spans topics such as chemically induced chromosomal interactions (CICI), LacI protein binding mechanisms in vivo, and long-distance gene regulation in yeast. These studies integrate experimental and computational approaches to unravel fundamental principles of gene expression dynamics and their implications in health and disease.

Dr. Du has not yet been listed as having advisory roles or grants in the provided text, but his lab actively collaborates across disciplines to advance biophysical and genomic methodologies. His work contributes to understanding both basic biology and translational applications in cancer and developmental disorders.