Ting Wang

Ting Wang, PhD

The Sanford and Karen Loewentheil Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Head, Department of Genetics

Wang Lab | Google Scholar Profile


Bio

Ting Wang is the inaugural Sanford C. and Karen P. Loewentheil Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Wang received his undergraduate degree from Peking University in Beijing, China in 1997. He obtained a PhD in Computational Biology from Washington University, and was a Helen Hay Whitney Fellow at University of California Santa Cruz, before returning to Washington University to start his own lab in the Department of Genetics and the Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology

An internationally recognized geneticist for genetic and epigenetic impact of transposable element (TE) on gene regulation, Ting Wang and his group are known for defining the widespread contribution of TEs to the evolution of species-specific gene regulatory networks as well as to the conservation of 3D genome architecture, and for revealing that epigenetic dysregulation of TEs is a major mechanism driving oncogenesis.

The Wang Lab investigates epigenetic determinants of cell fates in normal development and regeneration, in cancer, and in evolution, by integrating cutting-edge experimental and computational technologies. His lab developed widely-used DNA methylomics technologies, algorithms to identify regulatory motifs and modules, and analytical and visualization tools to integrate large genomic and epigenomic data. His lab is home to the WashU Epigenome Browser, utilized by investigators around the world to access hundreds of thousands of genomic datasets generated by large Consortia including the NIH Roadmap Epigenome Project, ENCODE Project, 4D Nucleome Project, and TaRGET Project. Dr. Wang currently directs the NIEHS Environmental Epigenomics Data Center, the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium, the IGVF Data Administrative and Coordination Center, the SMaHT Network Organization Center and Genome Characterization Center, and the Multi-Omics for Health and Diseases Data Production Center.

Research

Our research is to understand the evolution and adaption of human regulatory networks, with a focus on the impact of these processes on human health and disease. In particular, we investigate the evolutionary model of mobile elements (or transposable elements) and their roles in basic biology and cancer, including their genetic and epigenetic regulation.

We use integrative and systems methods. We develop statistical and computational algorithms to explore the human genome, to integrate cross-species comparative and high-throughput genomics data. We test our hypothesis and validate our predictions in the wet lab.

Our interests span areas of genomics, epigenomics, evolution, computation, systems biology and many more. We also have a general interest in large data integration and visualization, including developing genome and genomics browsers, and developing tools for analyzing high-throughput genomics data, including next-gen sequencing data.

Latest News

Turan Tufan, PhD, Receives Prestigious Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship

Turan Tufan, PhD, Receives Prestigious Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship

Turan Tufan, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in Ting Wang’s lab has been awarded a highly competitive three-year fellowship from the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, recognizing his exceptional promise as an early-career scientist and supporting his innovative research in biomedical science.
WashU Medicine’s fellow-to-faculty programs nurture growth of talented early-career scientists

WashU Medicine’s fellow-to-faculty programs nurture growth of talented early-career scientists (Links to an external site)

The newly launched Department of Genetics fellow-to-faculty program aims to prepare fellows not just as scientists but as future leaders. The first recruit, Macias-Velasco, earned his PhD at WashU in computational and systems biology, a field that uses sophisticated statistical approaches to understand human genetics and the development of disease.
Saintilnord, Reynolds named exceptional early-career research fellows

Saintilnord, Reynolds named exceptional early-career research fellows (Links to an external site)

WashU Medicine postdoctoral researchers Wesley Saintilnord, PhD, in the Department of Genetics (left) and Matthew Reynolds, PhD, in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics (right) have been named Jane Coffin Childs Fellows. The prestigious award supports early-career scientists conducting biomedical research that could inform the cause and treatment of human disease.
$14 million supports work to diversify human genome research

$14 million supports work to diversify human genome research (Links to an external site)

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received two large grants renewing funding for the Human Pangenome Reference Sequencing Project. This ambitious program began in 2019 with the goal of increasing the diversity of human genome sequences that are pooled into the widely used reference genome. A thorough representation of human genetic diversity can help researchers discover how genetic variation contributes to disease and perhaps offer new routes to innovative treatments.