Yun Huang

Dr. Yun Huang is a Professor and Associate Director of the Center for Epigenetic and Disease Prevention (CEDP) at Texas A&M University Health Science Center. She leads an active research laboratory focused on epigenetic mechanisms in disease development and has established herself as a leading expert in the field of DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation.

Dr. Huang received her Bachelor of Medicine (M.D. Equivalent) from Zhejiang University School of Medicine in 2003, followed by a Ph.D. & M.S. in Biochemistry from Georgia State University in 2008. She completed research fellowships at Harvard Medical School's Immune Disease Institute in 2009 and the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in 2010.

Her groundbreaking research focuses on DNA methylation homeostasis in humans and mammals, particularly how aberrant DNA methylation modifications contribute to developmental defects, metabolic disorders, and oncogenesis. Dr. Huang pioneered innovative methods to probe 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in the human genome and was among the first to map the hydroxymethylome in embryonic stem cells. Her work has significantly advanced our understanding of TET enzymes in health and disease. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on the intersection of epigenetics, cancer biology, and innovative molecular tools like optogenetics for precise cellular control.

Dr. Huang's scientific contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Fellow Award, Rising Star Award from The American Medical Professional Foundation, The John S. Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award, The Cancer Fighter of Houston Foundation Award, Research Excellence Award from Texas A&M University, and the inaugural Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship from TAMEST.

Recruited as a CPRIT scholar in 2014, Dr. Huang maintains an exceptionally productive research program with over 100 peer-reviewed publications in top scientific journals and more than 11,000 citations (H index = 41). Her research is supported by multiple grants from federal, state, and private foundations. She is featured as a 'Scientist to Watch' by The Scientist magazine and serves on the editorial board of the Blood journal.

Dr. Huang directs the Huang Epigenetics Lab and Huang CEDP Lab, where her team develops innovative single-cell epigenome analysis and epigenome-editing tools to probe how aberrant DNA modifications contribute to developmental defects and leukemogenesis. Her laboratory continues to push the boundaries of epigenetic research with a focus on translational applications for disease prevention and treatment.