Welcome to Professor Yang’s Lab in Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics!
We are interested in human genetics for both complex diseases and Mendelian disorders. For complex diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we mainly focus on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) through a network of collaborators in Hong Kong, mainland China, Asia and the world. We are also collaborating with immunologists and rheumatologists to try to understand the disease through experimental approaches. For Mendelian diseases such as primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID), we use whole exome sequencing (WES) to reach molecular diagnoses for the patients. So if you are interested in pursuing a career in genetic studies, or you are interested in autoimmune diseases, this is the place for you.
We are also interested in analysis of big data in biology. Take SLE for example, understanding the limitations of genetic studies, we try to understand susceptibility in the context of gene expression, epigenetic changes, genome biology, and immunological pathways. So if you are interested in joining us to hone your skills in data analysis and using a comprehensive approach to understand biology, disease and health, you are welcome.
We also have a keen interest in improving next generation sequencing (NGS) for molecular diagnosis of Mendelian diseases and for population genetic screening (eventually). This includes an experimental component to improve the coverage of the targeted regions and an algorithm component to improve data analysis. So if you are interested in making better applications of NGS data, please feel free to contact us at yangwl@hku.hk