Ph.D. (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

B.S. (Wuhan University)

Dr. Yong Lei received his Bachelors’ degree from Wuhan University. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2013, carrying out genome editing strategies (ZFNs, TALENs, CRISPR) to construct animal models in studying early embryogenesis. As a pioneer researcher achieving targeted genome editing in vivo, his paper was cited by Science as Ten Breakthroughs of 2012. He then joined the lab of renowned hematologist Prof. Margaret A. Goodell at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) for postdoc training, focusing on DNA hypermethylation editing and the role of aberrant DNA methylation in leukemogenesis. Applying the state-of-the-art methylation editing technique, he published the first study on targeted hypermethylation in mice zygote worldwide. 

In June 2020, he  The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) as an Assistant Professor. His research interests include deterioration of epigenome proof-reading system in ageing and its role in re-sculpturing epigenetic marks, and the maintenance of induced DNA hypermethylation through intergenerational inheritance. He has published multiple papers in high-impact journals, including Nature Genetics, Genome Biology, Nature Communications, Nucleic Acids Research and PNAS. 

1. Selected Publications:

2. Yiliyaer N, Li X, Guo T, Zhou H, Gong L, Yuan L, Fu Y, Qiao Y, Lui YL, Chen N, Lin P, Cheung HH, Ko H, Meng L, Chen X, Lei Y, Kwan KM, Wang H, Gu S*. Pathogenicity of Mediator Complex Subunit 27 (MED27) in a Neurodevelopmental Disorder with Cerebellar Atrophy. Adv Sci. 2025 

3. Yuan L, Xiong Y, Zhang Y, Gu S, Lei Y*. Epigenome editing based treatment: Progresses and challenges. Mol Ther. 2025

4. Li X, Yiliyaer N, Guo T, Zhao H, Lei Y*, Gu S*. The indispensable role of Mediator complex subunit 27 during neurodevelopment. Cell BioSci. 2025 

5. Wang JX, Zhang L, Zhang PW, Yuan LW, Jiang J, Cheng XH, Zhu W, Lei Y*, Tian FQ. Boanmycin overcomes bortezomib resistance by inducing DNA damage and endoplasmic reticulum functional impairment in multiple myeloma. Biol Direct. 2025 

6. Ho NJ, Chen X, Lei Y*, Gu S*. Decoding hereditary spastic paraplegia pathogenicity through transcriptomic profiling. Zool Res. 2023 

7. Lei Y, Huang YH, Goodell MA. DNA methylation and de-methylation using hybrid site-targeting proteins. Genome Biol. 2018

8. Huang YH, Su JZ, Lei Y, Brunetti L, Gundry MC, Zhang XT, Jeong M, Li W, Goodell MA. DNA epigenome editing using CRISPR-Cas SunTag-directed DNMT3A. Genome Biol. 2017

9. Lei Y, Zhang XT, Su JZ, Jeong M, Gundry MC, Huang YH, Zhou YB, Li W, Goodell MA. Targeted DNA methylation in vivo using an engineered dCas9-MQ1 fusion protein. Nat Commun. 2017

10. Hu JB, Lei Y, Wong WK, Liu SQ, Lee KC, He XJ, You WX, Zhou R, Guo JT, Chen XF, Peng XL, Sun H, Huang H, Zhao H, Feng B. Direct activation of human and mouse Oct4 genes using engineered TALE and Cas9 transcription factors. Nucleic Acids Research, 2014 

11. Li G, Feng J, Lei Y, Wang J, Wang H, Shang LK, Liu DT, Zhao H, Zhu Y, Wang YQ. Mutagenesis at specific genomic loci of amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri using TALEN method. J Genet Genomics. 2014

12. Lei Y, Guo XG, Deng Y, Chen YL, Zhao H. Generation of gene disruptions by transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) in Xenopus tropicalis embryos. Cell Biosci. 2013

13. Lei Y, Guo XG, Liu Y, Cao Y, Deng Y, Chen XF, Cheng HK, Dawid IB, Chen YL, Zhao H. Efficient targeted gene disruption in Xenopus embryos using engineered transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2012

    (Editorial highlight; Cited by Science Ten Breakthroughs of 2012; Interviewed by BioTechniques.)