Elucidating mechanisms of disease initiation and progression by analyzing large-scale datasets.

The Yang Lab at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine uses a wide range of genomic, bioinformatic and statistical methods to understand the initiation and progression of diseases, such as cancer. We develop algorithms and apply highly accurate and sensitive computational methods to determine the genetic mechanisms and biologic underpinnings of disease. Our research focuses on the following four areas:

1. Detection of genomic alterations: We use high-throughput sequencing to identify genetic alterations associated with human disorders.
2. Discovery of transcriptomic mis-splicing events: We apply short and long RNA sequencing to identify non-canonical splicing events that contribute to cancers.
3. Understanding lncRNA biology: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are poorly annotated compared to coding genes; we aim to identify the disease-causing lncRNAs and their underlying mechanisms.
4. Identifying tumor neoantigens and immunotherapy: Leveraging multi-omics data to identify neoantigens that are potential predictive biomarkers for a response to cancer immunotherapy