CBM Seminar Series – Systems Biology of Post-Transcriptional Gene Regulation: From Systems to Biology

The College of Biomedicine was pleased to host Professor Wei Chen from the Department of Biology, South University of Science and Technology of China, as a distinguished speaker in the CBM Seminar Series on 9 February 2026. Professor Chen’s team is interested in developing a quantitative understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying different layers of gene regulation.

In his talk entitled “Systems Biology of Post-Transcriptional Gene Regulation: From Systems to Biology”, Professor Chen addressed the fundamental question of how gene expression is regulated beyond transcription. He highlighted the critical role of cis-elements and trans-acting factors in post-transcriptional regulation through systems biology.

Professor Chen introduced his team’s systematic screening of post-transcriptional regulators involved in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer, illustrating how RNA-level regulation contributes to cellular plasticity and disease progression. He further shared ongoing work on Processing Bodies (P bodies) and their roles in mediating RNA regulation. The seminar also explored the relevance of P body regulation in different pathophysiological contexts, highlighting its potential implications for understanding development, disease mechanisms, and cellular responses to environmental stimuli.

The seminar stimulated active discussion and highlighted the importance of integrating quantitative, genome-wide approaches with biological insights to advance the understanding of complex gene regulatory networks.