Leadership and Staff
Haiyuan Yu
Director, Center for Innovative Proteomics
Tisch University Professor, Computational Biology
Dr. Yu led his group to develop the concept of “3D structurally-resolved interactome networks”, where they integrate multi-scale structural modeling, machine learning, and high-throughput genomics/proteomics experiments to determine protein interactions/complexes and their structures and dynamics on the whole proteome scale. The Yu group has established many cutting-edge experimental methodologies in structural proteomics, cross-linking mass spectrometry, and quantitative proteomics, and built innovative analysis pipelines using machine learning (deep learning) and rigorous statistical models in these areas.
Marcus B. Smolka
Associate Director, Center for Innovative Proteomics
Associate Director of the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Associate Vice Provost in Cornell Research & Innovation, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics
Smolka pioneered the use of mass spectrometry for the study of kinase substrates and mapping of phosphorylation signaling networks. With grants and awards from the NIH, ACS, Emerson Collective and various Cornell Initiatives, his lab applies proteomic approaches, in combination with genetics and biochemistry, to investigate fundamental mechanisms of genome maintenance, and their connections to cancer and reproductive biology. The Smolka Lab has mapped the action of DNA damage signaling kinases in yeast and mammals, leading to the understanding of the mechanisms by which kinases control DNA repair, checkpoints, cell cycle and transcription. As a Research Scholar for the American Cancer Society, Smolka uncovered novel mechanisms for deactivation of DNA damage checkpoint signaling kinases, establishing novel paradigms for signaling regulation. Current work in the Smolka Lab continues to expand the network of DNA damage signaling in the context of cancer biology and meiosis. Smolka also engages in a range of collaborative efforts using quantitative proteomics to elucidate fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic control, cell polarity, protein trafficking, neurodegenerative diseases and bacteria-host interactions.
Xiaomu Wei
Scientific Manager, Center for Innovative Proteomics
Assistant Research Professor, Computational Biology
Dr. Wei has been leading the efforts to establish a large-scale iPSC-differentiation pipeline for high-throughput proteomics and interactome screens in various brain cell types (including neurons, microglia, astrocyte, and others) to better dissect the genetic complexity of neurodevelopmental (e.g., autism) and neurodegenerative (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease) disorders. Using the cutting-edge DIA-LFQ-IP-MS workflow, the Wei and Yu groups have collaborated closely to generate the first neuron-specific interactome map for hundreds of risk proteins and their mutations associated with autism and Alzheimer’s disease.