Xiaosai Yao
Principal Scientist, Oncology Bioinformatics and Discovery Oncology
"It is an immense privilege to work alongside world-class scientists in the pursuit of developing life-changing cancer therapeutics."
In 2020, I joined the Oncology Bioinformatics Department with a dual appointment in Discovery Oncology at Genentech. My research revolves around understanding chromatin changes in response to drug perturbations. I am excited about developing computational tools to accelerate drug discovery. My methods (Epiregulon and grnVI) are being used by our oncology programs to inform drug efficacy and understand patient response. Genentech is one of the few places where basic research seamlessly connects with drug discovery.
Prior to Genentech, I trained with Dr. Dane Wittrup at MIT where I identified surface targets important for cancer dissemination. During my postdoctoral training with Dr. Patrick Tan and Dr. Bin Tean Teh at A*STAR Singapore, I discovered how driver mutations fuel tumor growth by co-opting transcription factors and chromatin remodelers.
Postdoctoral Mentor
The tremendous dedication and talent of my trainees have inspired me to be a better scientist myself.
Featured Publication
Epiregulon: Inference of single-cell transcription factor activity to dissect mechanisms of lineage plasticity and drug response.
PBRM1-deficient PBAF complexes target aberrant genomic loci to activate the NF-κB pathway in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
Nature Cell Biology volume 25, pages765–777 (2023).
VHL Deficiency Drives Enhancer Activation of Oncogenes in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.
Cancer Discov (2017) 7 (11): 1284–1305.