Rays Jiang Lab

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About the PI

As the first genomics lab in University of South Florida, Rays Jiang lab takes on a pioneer role, as well as pushing the frontier of data-driven life sciences. Her lab is developing innovative methods and applications of omics technologies. She has published in high profile journals such as Cell, Science, and Nature Communications, and secured diverse funding sources from NIH, NSF and Gates’ foundations.

Rays Jiang has a PhD in genomics from Wageningen University, the Netherlands. She has been a computational biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Harvard University. She came to USF with the vision to establish one of the first hybrid labs to synthesize computational biology and experimental sciences.

Her lab celebrates the spirit of inter-disciplinarity, innovation and inclusivity. She has been recognized as a globally Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate, which recognizes researchers ranking in the top 1% by citations in the field by Web of Science. She also holds the added distinction of publishing in multiple science domains.

Personal website : raysjiang.org

Featured publications

*co-first authorship, ^co-senior authorship

Muneer A*, Adapa SR*, ... Adams JH, Kim K, Jiang RHY^ and Cui L^.
Autochthonous Plasmodium vivax Infections, Florida, USA, 2023.
Emerging Infectious Diseases 2024 PMID: 38662728
This work is featured by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) on World Malaria Day.

Zhang M*, Wang CQ*, Otto TD, Oberstaller J, Liao X, Adapa SR, Udenze K, Li S, Bronner IF, Casandra D, Mayho M, Brown J, Li S, Swanson J, Rayner JC, Jiang RHY^ and Adams JH^.
Uncovering the essential genome of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum by saturation mutagenesis
Science 2018 PMID: 29724925
This work is featured by the NIH Director's post

Brancucci NMB, Gerdt JP, Wang C, ...Voss TS, Waters AP, Jiang RHY, Clardy J, Marti M.
Lysophosphatidylcholine Regulates Sexual Stage Differentiation in the Human Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
Cell 2017 PMID: 29129376
This work is featured in a Nature Review Microbiology Commentary.

Selected recent publications

Human metabolism and cancer biology

Kazi A, Xiang S, Yang H, Delitto D, Trevino J, Jiang RHY, Ayaz M, Lawrence HR, Kennedy P, Sebti SM.
GSK3 suppression upregulates β-catenin and c-Myc to abrogate KRas-dependent tumors.
Nature Communications 2018 PMID: 30514931

Adapa SR, Hunter GA, Amin NE, Marinescu C, Borsky A, Sagatys EM, Sebti SM, Reuther GW, Ferreira GC, Jiang RHY
Porphyrin overdrive rewires cancer cell metabolism.
Life Science Alliance 2024 PMID: 38649187
This is a first study reports a novel cancer metabolic rewiring process that is cancer-universal, cancer-essential, and cancer-specific.

Bioengineering and novel omics

Roth A*, Maher SP*, Conway A ...Lanar DE, Nosten F, Davidson S, Jiang RHY, Kyle DE, Adams JH.
A comprehensive model for assessment of liver stage therapies targeting Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum
Nature Communications 2018 PMID: 29743474

Roth A, Adapa SR, Zhang M, Liao X, Saxena V, Goffe R, Li S, Ubalee R, Saggu GS, Pala ZR, Garg S, Davidson S, Jiang RHY^, Adams JH^.
Unraveling the Plasmodium vivax sporozoite transcriptional journey from mosquito vector to human host.
Scientific Report 2018 PMID:30111801

Maher SP, Conway AJ, Roth A, Adapa SR..., Jiang RHY and Kyle DE.
An adaptable soft-mold embossing process for fabricating optically-accessible, microfeature-based culture systems and application toward liver stage antimalarial compound testing
Lab-on-a-Chip 2020 PMID: 32055808
This study reports our minimalistic in vitro human liver system that is capable of robust complex metabolic processes.

Maher SP, Vantaux A, ... Conway AJ, Jiang RHY, Russell B, Bifani P, Campo B, Nosten F, Witkowski B, Kyle DE.
Probing the distinct chemosensitivity of Plasmodium vivax liver stage parasites and demonstration of 8-aminoquinoline radical cure activity in vitro
Scientific Report 2021 PMID: 34620901

Single-cell engineering, computation and biology

Cheemalapati SV, Winskas J, Wang H, Konnaiyan K, Zhdanov A, Roth A, Adapa SR, Deonarine A, Noble M, Das T, Gatenby R, Westerheide SD, Jiang RHY and Pyayt A.
Subcellular and in-vivo Nano-Endoscopy.
Scientific Report 2016 Oct

Thomson-Luque R, Wang C, ..., Conway A, Adapa SR,Barnes SJ, Adams JH, Jiang RHY.
In-depth phenotypic characterization of reticulocyte maturation using mass cytometry.
Blood Cells Mol Dis. 2018 PMID: 30007855
This is the first single-cell human reticulocyte and erythroid study

Large scale genome engineering

Egan ES, Jiang RHY, Moechtar MA, Barteneva NS, Weekes MP, et al
A forward genetic screen identifies erythrocyte CD55 as essential for Plasmodium falciparum invasion.
Science 2015 PMID: 25954012
This is the first large-scale human hematopoietic stem cell mutagenesis study in erythropoiesis.

Bronner IF, Ottoa TD, Zhang M, Udenze K, Wang CQ, Quail MA, Jiang RHY, Adams JH, Rayner JC.
Quantitative Insertion-site Sequencing (QIseq) for high throughput phenotyping of transposon mutants.
Genome Research. 2016 PMID: 27197223

Zhang M, Wang C, Oberstaller J, Thomas P, Otto TD, Casandra D, Boyapalle S, Adapa SR, Xu S, Button-Simons K, Mayho M, Rayner JC, Ferdig MT, Jiang RHY, Adams JH.
The apicoplast link to fever-survival and artemisinin-resistance in the malaria parasite.
Nature Communications. 2022 PMID: 34315897

Epigenetics and pathology

Babatunde KA, Mbagwu S, Hernández-Castañeda MA, Adapa SR, Walch M, FilgueiraL, Falquet L, Jiang RHY, Ghiran I, Mantel PY.
Malaria infected red blood cells release small regulatory RNAs through extracellular vesicles.
Scientific Report 2018 PMID: 29343745

Lucky AB, Wang C, Li X, Chim-Ong A, Adapa SR, Quinlivan EP, Jiang RHY,Cui L, Miao J.
Characterization of the dual role of Plasmodium falciparum DNA methyltransferase in regulating transcription and translation.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 PMID: 37026483

Lucky AB, Wang C, Liu M, Liang X, Min H, Fan Q, Siddiqui FA, Adapa SR, Li X, Jiang RHY, Chen X, Cui L, Miao J.
A type II protein arginine methyltransferase regulates merozoite invasion in Plasmodium falciparum
Communications Biology 2023 PMID: 37349497

Min H, Liang X, ... Adapa SR, Jiang RHY, Ning G, Cao Y, Lindner SE, Miao J, Cui L.
The DEAD-box RNA helicase PfDOZI imposes opposing actions on RNA metabolism in Plasmodium falciparum.
Nature Communications 2024 PMID: 38702310

Host-microbe interactions

Coleman BI, Skillman KM, Jiang RHY, Childs LM, Altenhofen LM, et al
A Plasmodium falciparum histone deacetylase regulates antigenic variation and gametocyte conversion.
Cell Host Microbe 2014 PMID: 25121747

Pellé KG*, Jiang RHY*, Mantel PY, Xiao YP, Hjelmqvist D, Gallego-Lopez GM, Lau AO, Kang BH, Allred DR, Marti M.
Shared elements of host-targeting pathways among apicomplexan parasites of differing life styles.
Cell Microbiol 2015 PMID: 25996544

Paul AS, Saha S, Engelberg K, Jiang RHY, Coleman BI, Kosber AL, et al
Parasite Calcineurin Regulates Host Cell Recognition and Attachment by Apicomplexans.
Cell Host Microbe 2015 PMID: 26118996

Ganter M, Goldberg JM, Dvorin JD, Paulo JA, King JG, Tripathi AK, Paul AS, Yang J, Coppens I, Jiang RHY, Elsworth B, Baker DA, Dinglasan RR, Gygi SP, Duraisingh MT.
Plasmodium falciparum CRK4 directs continuous rounds of DNA replication during schizogony.
Nature Microbiology 2017 PMID: 28211852

Evolutionary genetics

Haas BJ, Kamoun S, Zody MC, Jiang RHY, Handsaker RE, et al.
Genome sequence and analysis of the Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans.
Nature 2009 PMID: 19741609

Raffaele S, Farrer RA, Cano LM, Studholme DJ, MacLean D, Thines M, Jiang RHY, Zody MC, et al
Genome evolution following host jumps in the Irish potato famine pathogen lineage.
Science 2010 PMID: 21148391

Baxter L, Tripathy S, ..., Jiang RHY, Judelson H, Kamoun S, et al.
Signatures of adaptation to obligate biotrophy in the Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis genome.
Science 2010 PMID: 21148394

Neafsey DE, Galinsky K, Jiang RHY, Young L, Sykes SM et al.
The malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax exhibits greater genetic diversity than Plasmodium falciparum.
Nature Genetics 2012 PMID: 22863733

Dankwa S, Lim C, Bei AK, Jiang RHY, Abshire JR, Patel SD, Goldberg JM, et al.
Ancient human sialic acid variant restricts an emerging zoonotic malaria parasite.
Nature Communications 2016 PMID: 27041489

Sacco MD, Wang S, Adapa SR, ... Wang J, Eswara PJ, Gelis I, Jiang RHY, Sun X, Chen Y.
A unique class of Zn2+-binding serine-based PBPs underlies cephalosporin resistance and sporogenesis in Clostridioides difficile
Nature Communications 2022 PMID: 35902581