Harvard Catalyst Profiles

Nanjing University, Nanjing, China	B.S.	07/1984	Analytical Chemistry
Nanjing University, Nanjing, China	M.S.	11/1987	Environmental Sciences/Nutrition
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL	Ph.D.	10/1994	Nutritional Sciences
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA	Postdoc. Fellow	07/1996	Bionutrition and Cancer Prevention

The laboratory prioritizes investigating the most complex issues dealing with nutrition and health. Our research aims to identify bioactive dietary, nutritional and natural botanical components for the prevention and treatment of certain chronic diseases, such as cancer, metabolic disorders, and neurological-psychiatric diseases. We apply integrated research platforms by establishing both in vitro and clinically relevant animal models for chronic diseases and utilizing advanced techniques in cellular and molecular biology and epigenetics to identify effective and safe regimens for the prevention and therapy of diseases and to elucidate the mechanisms of action of candidate regimens.

By using integrated approaches, we have made significant achievements in identifying candidate regimens for the prevention of certain chronic diseases. We were the first group to demonstrate the synergistic combination effect between soybean and tea active components on preventing breast and prostate cancers. We were also among the first few research groups to propose metabolic syndrome as a potential etiological risk factor for the development and progression of several types of cancer, and in particular, maternal metabolic disorder status as a risk factor for cancer in offspring. We are applying cellular function-guided extraction, fractionation, and purification strategies to identify active components from botanicals and Chinese herbal medicines for targeting disease-specific cellular processes, such as those involved in cancer stem cells, preneoplastic transformation, and aging-associated cognitive impairment. Our research findings can provide essential experimental evidence to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of candidate regimens, and support translation into future clinical investigations.

• diet/nutrition, phytochemical, nutraceuticals, cancer, metabolic disorders, aging, cognition
• Breast cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, inflammation, antioxidant