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Yuan Ma

Yuan Ma

Assistant Professor Kenneth S. Pitzer-Schlumberger Junior Faculty Chair Norman Hackerman-Welch Young Investigator

Chemistry

CONTACT

ym62@rice.edu

WEBSITE(S)| Ma Lab

SURF Mentoring

Potential projects/topics: Our lab is dedicated to developing chemical biology tools for interdisciplinary research in chemistry, biology, and biomedical applications. We usually discuss with undergraduate students about their research interest and career goal, and then let undergraduate students to pick the project related with their interest. Our lab has diverse research interest, such as: 1) developing chemical biology tools to investigate the biological mechanisms of RNA and their relationships with diseases.3) develop novel analytical methods to utilize RNA and proteins as biomarkers for disease early detection. Through these efforts, we strive to advance the fundamental knowledge of chemical biology and contribute to translational science in disease early detection.

Potential skills gained: Chemistry experiment, Cell culture, biochemistry experiments, studying DNA,RNA, protein

Required qualifications or skills: Major can be either chemistry, biology, or bioengineering. No prior course background is required.

Direct mentor: Faculty/P.I., Post-doctorate, Graduate Student

Research Areas

The Ma lab is dedicated to developing chemical biology tools for interdisciplinary research in chemistry, biology, and biomedical applications. We are interested in these research directions: 1) Develop chemical biology tools for in situ studies of RNA/protein; 2) Investigate the nature of RNA modification, such as glycoRNAs, and epigenetic RNAs; 3) Explore the biological mechanisms of RNA/protein and their relationships with diseases; 4) Utilize RNA/protein as biomarkers to develop early detection methods for diseases. Our goals are to advance the fundamental knowledge of chemical biology, and contribute to translational science in disease early detection.