Your browser is unsupported

We recommend using the latest version of IE11, Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari.

Principal Investigator Heading link

Wang lab

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of small non-coding RNAs, and each miRNA can regulate the expression of hundreds of gene targets. By broadly controlling the functions of thousands of genes, miRNAs play important regulatory roles in almost all known molecular pathways. Our main research interests include: computational and experimental identification of miRNA targets; development of bioinformatics tools for miRNA and gene expression research; identification of miRNA-related biomarkers for human cancers; functional characterization of miRNA in cancer development and progression; and development of miRNA therapeutics for human cancers.

We have developed multiple bioinformatics tools and experimental methods to facilitate miRNA studies. For example, we have developed an online database, miRDB for miRNA target prediction and functional analysis. miRDB has quickly become a widely-used bioinformatics tool for miRNA research and has been referenced by thousands of publications. Besides tools related to miRNA, our lab has also developed other popular bioinformatics tools for gene expression studies.

Several prominent examples are:

  1. miRDB database for miRNA target prediction and functional analysis;
  2. OncoDB database to explore abnormal molecular patterns in cancer;
  3. OncomiR database to study altered miRNA expression in cancer;
  4. PrimerBank database for real-time PCR studies, which has been referenced by thousands of publications;
  5. siOligo program for siRNA design, which is currently used by Life Technologies to design the siRNA products they have been distributing to hundreds of labs throughout the world;
  6. CRISPRDB, a recently developed tool for the design of CRISPR/Cas9 assays.

Our lab is also very interested in translational cancer research. We have identified prognostic biomarkers to stratify patients based on the risk of failure to standard therapies. The lab has performed gene expression profiling studies and established multiple miRNA-based prognostic models for robust prediction of a variety of human cancers. In particular, we have focused on cervical and oropharyngeal cancers, both of which are closely associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Besides miRNA biomarkers, we have also functionally characterized the interactions between miRNA and HPV during the development of HPV-induced cancers. We are currently collaborating with Radiation Oncologists to validate the clinical utility of the identified prognostic biomarkers to guide treatment decisions.

Current Lab Members Heading link

Xinyi Liu

Research Assistant Professor
xinyiliu@uic.edu

Xinyi completed her PhD in bioinformatics at Harbin Medical University, China. She studied human endogenous retroviruses involved in autoimmune disease and the relationships between small molecules and miRNAs. Her project here is focused on identification of miRNA biomarkers in HPV-induced cancers.

Yuanxiang Li

Research Instructor
yli345@uic.edu

Yuanxiang joined the Wang lab in 2021. She received her PhD in marine biology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. She previously studied the physiology of halophilic microalgae Dunaliella and is now working on experimental manipulation of miRNA expression and their targets via single cell RNA sequencing platform.

Caleb Sumandea

Research Associate
csuman2@uic.edu

Caleb joined the Wang Lab in July of 2023. He received a MS in Biomedical Sciences at UIC in May of 2024. In December of 2021 he received his B.S in Cell and Molecular Biology from California Sate University East Bay.

Makayla Dove

Research Associate
mdove@uic.edu

Makayla joined the Wang lab in May of 2024. She received her BS in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology from Iowa State University in May of 2024.

Charlie Rogers

Research Associate
csrogers@uic.edu

Charlie joined the Wang lab in December 2024. He received a B.S. in Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience and a B.A. in Italian Studies from Loyola University Chicago in May 2024.

Students Heading link

Join our Lab Heading link

Research Positions

Multiple openings for various research positions available. We are looking for talented researchers at all levels, from junior-level research technicians to senior-level postdoctoral scientists. We are especially interested in candidates who have experience in genomics and computational biology.

Student Rotation Projects

Students interested in pursuing PhD degrees in our lab are encouraged to contact Prof. Xiaowei Wang. We’d love to discuss potential rotation projects with students from all backgrounds. We do both computational and experimental studies.