Kexin Xu, Ph.D.

Dr. Kexin Xu's research seeks to understand the fundamental roles of the epigenome in control of the context-specific transcriptional programs and how this control contributes to normal development or cancer progression. Specifically, she focus on the following topics:

1) The interaction between tissue-specific transcription factors and epigenetic regulators in transcriptional control

2) The crosstalk among distinct types of epigenetic modifications in shaping the physical structure of genome

3) The response of epigenetic tags to the external and internal stimuli

4) The development of new chemical probes targeting the master epigenetic enzymes in cancer pathogenesis

Her work is highly interdisciplinary and covers the fields of epigenomics, functional genomics, genome editing, biochemistry, bioinformatics and drug discovery. 

Findings from our studies will not only provide critical insights into the mechanisms of the epigenetic aberrations driving the pathogenesis of human cancers, but also lay solid foundations for the design of novel therapeutic targets or approaches.