Shasha Chong

Assistant: Michelle O'Camb

Research in the Chong lab interfaces between chemistry, physics, and biology to tackle the molecular mechanisms of fundamental cellular processes. We are interested in intrinsically disordered regions, which compose nearly half of the eukaryotic proteome and perform critical functions in numerous cellular processes without forming stable protein structures. Primary goals of our research include 1) understanding the fundamental rules that govern the interaction behaviors of intrinsically disordered regions and 2) elucidating their roles in regulating gene transcription under normal and disease conditions, including cancer and diabetes.

Biomolecular transactions are often highly dynamic, reversible, and heterogeneous. An in-depth mechanistic understanding of them requires visualizing biomolecules one at a time with high spatiotemporal resolution under physiological conditions. To this end, we will develop novel live-cell and in vitro single-molecule imaging methods and combine them with genome editing, biochemical, genomic, proteomic, and bioinformatic approaches in our research.