Research Areas

Gang Bao is a pioneer in nanomedicine, molecular imaging, and the emerging area of genome editing. The nanoscale structures and devices engineered in his lab have broad-based applications in basic research to understand the underlying causes of disease, as well as in the translation of nano-scale tools for disease diagnostics and treatment, such as targeted drug/gene and cell-based therapies. A major focus of Bao’s Laboratory of Biomolecular Engineering and Nanomedicine is centered on the development of gene correction techniques to address longstanding challenges in the fight against cancer and single-gene disorders, such as sickle-cell disease. Using DNA-cutting enzyme technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9 systems, Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs) and Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFNs), Bao is developing tools for precise and controlled gene editing.