Professor Yiping W. Han
Phone: 212-342-1790
Lab Phone: 212-342-1414
Fax: 212-305-9313
Email: ywh2102@columbia.edu
Research
The human microbiome is a vast population of microbes that inhabit various surfaces of the body, and plays an essential role in health and disease. We are interested in the interactions of these microbes and their human hosts, and work in our laboratory encompass the following areas:
1. Investigating the role of oral bacteria in extra-oral infection and inflammation. Increasing evidence suggests that microbial communities specific to particular regions of the body are not isolated from each other, but rather, are mobile and interchangeable. For example, oral bacteria are not limited to the confines of the mouth and are frequently detected at extra-oral sites associated with infections and inflammation. Using culture-independent technology, we investigate the impact of the oral microbiome on pregnancy complications and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.
2. Investigating the mechanisms of Fusobacterium nucleatum pathogenesis in pregnancy complications and GI cancer. F. nucleatum is a gram-negative anaerobic oral commensal prevalent in pregnancy complications including preterm birth, stillbirth and neonatal sepsis. It has also been associated with GI disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal and esophageal cancers and appendicitis. Using in vitro and in vivo model systems, we investigate the mechanism of F. nucleatum in pregnancy complications and GI cancers. We have identified a unique adhesin, FadA, from F. nucleatum that plays an essential virulent role. FadA is thus a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for disease detection and prevention. Our studies on FadA include continued analysis of its structure, function and regulation, as well as investigation of its clinical relevance in patient cohorts.
3. Developing genetic tools for mutant construction in bacteria. Studies of microbes are often hindered by the lack of genetic tools. Our lab was the first to utilize ultrasound to facilitate DNA delivery (sonoporation) into bacteria, and we constructed the first double-crossover allelic exchange mutant in F. nucleatum. Developing bacterial genetic tools continues to be a focus in our lab.
Professor Han is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
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