Yangpo Cao

Yangpo Cao is an Associate Professor and Ph.D. supervisor in the Department of Pharmacology at the School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). He joined SUSTech in June 2023 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in December 2023. Dr. Cao leads an independent research group focusing on cardiac development and diseases, utilizing cutting-edge technologies in molecular biology, cell biology, and epigenetics.

Dr. Cao's educational background includes:

• Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Northwest A&F University (2009-2014)
• Doctor of Philosophy from Peking University (2014-2020)

Dr. Cao's research primarily focuses on the transcriptional regulation of cardiac development and diseases. His laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac physiology and pathophysiology, with particular emphasis on conditions such as cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. By combining advanced techniques in molecular biology, cell biology, and epigenetics, his team aims to identify new therapeutic targets for cardiac diseases. His three primary research thrusts include epigenetic mechanisms regulating cardiomyocyte fate, mitochondrial quality control in cardiac pathology, and metabolic-epigenetic interactions in cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Cao's publication record demonstrates significant contributions to cardiovascular research, with numerous first-author papers in high-impact journals including Circulation, Circulation Research, Nature Cardiovascular Research, PNAS, and Developmental Cell. His work spans transcriptional regulation, epigenetic mechanisms, and mitochondrial quality control, with several papers selected as highlight articles in American Association of Cardiology scientific issues and as cover articles in top cardiovascular journals.

Dr. Cao's scientific achievements have been recognized through several prestigious awards:

• Academic Innovation Award in Peking University (2018)
• Academic New Talent Award of School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University (2019)
• Outstanding Graduates of Beijing City (2020)
• Outstanding Graduates of Peking University (2020)
• Excellent Doctoral Dissertation in Peking University (2020)
• National High-Level Young Talent (2023)
• Shenzhen Pengcheng Peacock Distinguished Expert (2023)

As a doctoral supervisor at SUSTech, Dr. Cao mentors graduate students in cardiovascular research. His laboratory employs a range of high-throughput, multi-omics approaches including AAV-MPRA, AAV-Perturb-seq, HiC, HiChIP, snMultiomics, CASAAV, and bioChiP-seq to investigate transcriptional regulation in cardiac development and cardiomyopathy. He has secured research funding that supports his innovative approaches to understanding cardiac disease mechanisms.

Dr. Cao's research group operates within the Department of Pharmacology at SUSTech's School of Medicine, collaborating with various institutions including Harvard Medical School where he completed his postdoctoral training. His work bridges basic science and clinical applications, with the goal of developing novel therapeutic strategies for cardiac diseases. He serves on committees including the Clinical and Basic Research Branch of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cardiology Association and is an active member of both the American Heart Association and International Society for Heart Research.