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.

Personal website : raysjiang.org

Genomics research and education initiatives

Rays Jiang is one of the founding members of USF genomics program; her lab bears the identity of STEM_CORE (Single-cell, Translational, Evolution, Microbial, USF Central-lab of Omics Research and Engineering).

Rays Jiang is the concentration director of the Genomics Master of Science (certified and approved) at USF.

Featured publications

*co-first authorship, ^co-senior authorship

Sacco MD, Wang S, Adapa SR, ... 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

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 2021 PMID: 34315897

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 NIH Director Collins' 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

Selected recent publications

Cloud-based and community-based open source discoveries

Adapa SR*, Taylor RA*, Wang C, Thomson-Luque R, Johnson LR, Jiang RHY.
Plasmodium vivax readiness to transmit: implication for malaria eradication.
BMC Systems Biology 2019 PMID: 30634978

Van Voorhis et al. Open Source Drug Discovery with the Malaria Box Compound Collection for Neglected Diseases and Beyond.
PLoS Pathogen 2016 PMID: 27467575

Single-cell engineering, computation and biology

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

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

Novel computational methods and analysis

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

Gibbons J, Button-Simons KA, Adapa SR, Li S, Pietsch M, Zhang M, Liao X, Adams JH, Ferdig MT, Jiang RHY.
Altered expression of K13 disrupts DNA replication and repair in Plasmodium falciparum.
BMC Genomics 2018 PMID: 30486796

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

Wang CQ, Adapa SR, Gibbons J, Sutton SG and Jiang RHY
Punctuated chromatin states regulate Plasmodium falciparum antigenic variation at intron and 2kb upstream regions
BMC Genomics 2016 Aug

Large scale of novel forward mutagenesis

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 May 10

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 ; 348(6235):711-4

Human evolution driven by infectious diseases

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 Apr 4

Dankwa S, Chaand M, Kanjee U, Jiang RHY, Nobre LV, et al.
Genetic Evidence for Erythrocyte Receptor Glycophorin B Expression Levels Defining a Dominant Plasmodium falciparum Invasion Pathway into Human Erythrocytes.
Infection & Immunity 2017 PMID: 28760933

Mirobial evolution driven by hosts and environments

Jiang RHY, Stahelin RV, Bhattacharjee S, Haldar K. Eukaryotic virulence determinants utilize phosphoinositides at the ER and host cell surface.
Trends in Microbiology. 2013 Mar;21(3):145-56

Jiang RHY and Tyler BM
Mechanisms and evolution of virulence in oomycetes
Annu Rev Phytopathol 2012 Vol 50 Sep 8;50:295-318 PMID: 22920560

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 Sep;44(9):1046-50.

Mechanisms of host-microbe interactions

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 Feb

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; May 21

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

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; Aug 13

Jiang RHY, de Bruijn I, Haas BJ, et al.
Distinctive expansion of potential virulence genes in the genome of the oomycete fish pathogen Saprolegnia parasitica.
PLoS Genetics 2013 Jun;9(6)

in vitro human liver engineering and genomics

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, Cualing P, ....Saadi WM, Adams JH, Jiang RHY, 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