We celebrate this important next step in her scientific career!

Dr. Shuze Wang received her PhD in Bioinformatics in 2023. She was co-advised by professors Joerg Waldhaus, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and CCMB member, and Jie Liu, DCMB. Her dissertation, titled, "Deciphering the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Cochlea Development in Mice using Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies and Comprehensive Computational Approaches" is now published in Developmental Cell. 

About Dr. Wang's research:
Frequency discrimination in the mammalian auditory system relies on various morphological and physiological features of the organ of Corti, such as tonotopic changes in basilar membrane stiffness and corresponding gene expression gradients. Despite these known characteristics, the molecular mechanisms controlling tonotopic gene expression in the mouse cochlea remain unclear. Analysis of scRNA-seq data from E12.5 and E14.5 time points suggests that morphogens, rather than cell division, confer spatial identity during cochlear development. Functional studies using mouse cochlear explants reveal that retinoic acid and hedgehog pathways jointly specify the longitudinal axis through opposing apex-to-base gradients. 

Paper cited:
Shuze Wang, Saikat Chakraborty, Yujuan Fu, Mary P. Lee, Jie Liu, Joerg Waldhaus, 3D reconstruction of the mouse cochlea from scRNA-seq data suggests morphogen-based principles in apex-to-base specification, Developmental Cell, 2024, ISSN 1534-5807, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2024.03.028

Shuze Wang and professor Joerg Waldhaus, May 2024