Shaojun Du

Dr. Shaojun Du is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a faculty member at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland. His research focuses on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms regulating muscle development, growth, and repair using zebrafish models.

• Education: PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (University of Toronto, 1993), Postdoctoral Fellowship in Genetics (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, 1993–1997)

Dr. Du’s work explores the roles of molecular chaperones (e.g., Hsp90α1), histone modifiers (e.g., SmyD1), and fusogenic proteins (Myomaker/Myomixer) in myofibril assembly, sarcomere organization, and myoblast fusion. His lab employs Tol2 transposon, TALEN, and CRISPR technologies to generate transgenic and mutant zebrafish models.

The scientific awards section is currently empty, but his research has been funded by the NIH (Grant 1R01AR072703-01A1, 2018–2025). His publications highlight breakthroughs in muscle cell identity specification via Hedgehog signaling and the critical role of post-translational modifications in protein stability.

Dr. Du’s lab has developed over 40 zebrafish models to study muscle structural proteins, transcription factors, and microRNA networks, contributing to understanding neuromuscular diseases and advancing aquaculture applications.