Profile

Dr. Mao is currently Full Professor with Tenure at School of Physics, Peking University. The Mao Laboratory focuses on the mechanistic investigation of ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and its regulation of essential intracellular processes by leveraging multidisciplinary approaches in physical biology. The major research topics currently being conducted in the laboratory are of three folds:

(1) We are developing novel AI-based classification algorithms for high-resolution 4D cryo-EM to reconstitute non-equilibrium dynamics of complex assembly. These novel approaches are applied to study how the proteasome is regulated at multiple levels by cellular proteins and how the UPS regulates important physiological processes involved in inflammation, carcinogenesis, neurodegeneration, viral infection, and metabolism. 

(2) We are developing novel machine learning approaches for dynamics-based drug discovery and vaccine immunogen design. These methods are used to design new compounds targeting the UPS based on structural dynamics information obtained from high-resolution cryo-EM analysis.

(3) By targeting key components of the UPS, we are innovating multidisciplinary methods for designing molecular glue and for degradation-based therapeutics in combating cancer, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.