Education
PharmD, Rutgers University, 2014
MBA, Rutgers University, 2015
Research Interests
Bioinformatics, Single-cell RNA-Seq
Research Summary
The placenta is a vital organ in fetal development. It serves critical functions as the lung and kidney of the fetus as well as produces human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to maintain the pregnancy. The main cells in the placenta are the trophoblast cells, which are further delineated into subtypes. The syncytiotrophoblast produces hCG and forms a physical barrier between the mother and the fetus. The cytotrophoblasts form the germative layer and fuse together to for the syncytiotrophoblast. The extravillous trophoblasts invade the decidua to remodel the uterus and anchor the placenta. Disorders related to the placenta contribute to a wide range of pregnancy-related disorders, from miscarriages and stillbirths to pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction. Clinical challenges regarding diagnosis and management of placental abnormalities is contributed by the current lack of understanding of the biology of trophoblasts, including gene regulatory mechanisms.
Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is an RNA-processing mechanism that generates distinct 3’termini. Selection of the polyadenylation site (PAS) is influenced by many factors and results in modification of gene expression. Cleavage and polyadenylation at a PAS in the coding region leads to different protein isoforms with altered function. APA in 3’-untranslated regions (3’UTR) lead to distinct mRNA isoforms with different 3’UTR lengths but translate into the same protein. Differences in 3’UTR lengths cause these mRNA isoforms to be uniquely regulated by miRNA and RNA-binding proteins that affect their metabolism in the cell.
More than half of human mRNA encoding genes have multiple PAS sites, making them amenable to post-transcriptional control by APA. Distinct APA patterns have been reported in different tissues and conditions. Contrary to observations in the differentiation of embryonic stem cells into other lineages, preliminary data suggests that 3’UTR lengths are globally shorter upon differentiation into the trophectoderm lineage. Therefore, we are working to understand the role of APA in the placenta.
Awards & Honors
Presidential Fellowship, Rutgers University, 2018 – Present
2nd Place, Poster Presentation, MBGSO Annual Symposium, 2018
The Martin L Yarmush Award for Outstanding Poster Presentation, 2017
Biotechnology Training Program Fellowship (NIH T32 GM008339), 2016 – 2018
Molecular Biosciences Excellence Fellowship, Rutgers University, 2015 – 2016
Proteomics Interdisciplinary Research Award, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, 2016
Joint Ph.D. Excellence Award, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, 2016
Publications
Cheng LC, Li Z, Graeber TG, Graham NA, Drake JM. Phosphopeptide enrichment coupled with label-free quantitative mass spectrometry to investigate the phosphoproteome in prostate cancer. J Vis Exp. 2018 Aug 2;(138). (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6126612/)
Cheng LC, Tan VM, Ganesan S, Drake JM. Integrating phosphoproteomics into the clinical management of prostate cancer. Clin Transl Med. 2017 Feb;6:9. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5309189/)
Representative Graduate Courses Taken
Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology
Biophysical Chemistry
Innovations and Entrepreneurship
Bioengineering in the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries
Molecular Response to Therapeutic DNA Damage
Signal Transduction
Cancer Pharmacology
Hormones and Their Receptors
Statistics for Molecular and Cellular Sciences
Leadership & Outreach
Development Officer, Joint Molecular Biosciences Graduate Student Association, Rutgers University (2016-2017)
Judge, Cancer Research, North Jersey Regional Science Fair (2016)
Competitor, Knights Ingenuity Team, 6th Annual Biotech & Healthcare Case Competition, Johns Hopkins Graduate Consulting Club (2016)/p>