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Xiangdong David Ren, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, DNA Biomarker Identification and Detection
Dr. Ren earned his MD from Shanghai Medical University, and PhD in molecular biology from the University of Oxford. He did his postdoctoral research on molecular cell biology of ECM at The Scripps Research Institute. While at Scripps, Dr. Ren invented a novel Rho GTPase activity assay which contributed a great deal to the understanding of many fundamental cellular processes. He continued his work on cell migration and oncogene signaling after he became a faculty at SUNY Stony Brook. He also carried out translational research on cutaneous wound healing. His meticulous and thorough work has led to discovery of an experimental error in the fibronectin research field. This technical improvement produced new findings that overturned a 20-year-old dogma in the matrix research and enhanced our understanding of regulation of cell growth and migration by ECM.
Dr. Ren recently joined the IHVR as Associate Professor with research interest in DNA biomarkers. Dr. Ren is developing ultrasensitive diagnostic/screening assays for clinical use. The HBV mutation detection assays can detect and quantify the mutant viral DNA in the presence of 100,000 – 1,000,000 fold excess of the wild type DNA (patent pending). The YMDD mutation assays are for early detection of HBV drug resistance. The dynamics of the precore and basal core promoter mutations may be used to predict clinical outcomes. |
