Faculty

David (Chun-Wei) D. Chen, Ph.D.

Location

Rochester, Minnesota

Contact

chen.chun-wei@mayo.edu

SUMMARY

David (Chun-Wei) Chen, Ph.D., is a Mayo Clinic researcher who studies advanced cancer therapies through understanding genomic, epigenomic and metabolomic regulators and their networks. He aims to investigate gene expression, epigenetic landscape, cellular metabolism and genome integrity under normal and disease conditions, striving to develop therapeutic opportunities for leukemia and other cancers. He is particularly focused on developing new approaches to use the gene-editing tool CRISPR.

Focus areas

  • CRISPR gene-tiling technology. Dr. Chen's lab developed a single-cell CRISPR gene-tiling screen (sc-Tiling). This method allows for the identification of protein functional elements by combining microarray oligo synthesis, viral library cloning, drug screens and multi-omics sequencing.
  • CRISPR-TICA drug discovery. Integrating CRISPR tiling with computer-aided compound docking simulations, Dr. Chen has developed workflows for identifying therapeutic pockets on protein surfaces, advancing drug discovery.
  • Therapeutic targets in leukemia. Dr. Chen identified the importance of the SGF29 gene in leukemias using CRISPR-tiling screens and structural analysis, leading to the development of the first SGF29 inhibitor.
  • Metabolic networks in leukemia. Dr. Chen's team revealed critical roles of KDSR (ER sphingolipid) and COX4I1 (mitochondrial respiration) homeostasis in leukemia progression and therapeutic response.
  • Epigenetic mechanisms in cancer. Dr. Chen's research in Ewing sarcoma and hepatocellular carcinoma has uncovered the roles of the NuA4 complex in MYC chromatin targeting and ACTR5 (an INO80 complex member) in CDKN2 regulation, suggesting new therapeutic strategies.

Significance to patient care

Dr. Chen's research helps improve patient care by creating new treatments for leukemia and other cancers. His work with CRISPR gene editing and targeting epigenetic-metabolic machinery opens up chances for new therapies, meeting needs that haven't been addressed in cancer treatment.

Professional highlights

  • Director, Genetic Screening and Engineering Core (GSEC), Mayo Clinic, 2025-present.
  • Vice chair, Institutional Biosafety Committee, City of Hope, 2023-2025.
  • Director, Division of Epigenetics and Transcriptional Engineering, City of Hope, 2021-2025.

PROFESSIONAL DETAILS

Administrative Appointment

  1. Senior Associate Consultant II-Research, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  2. Senior Associate Consultant II-Research, Public Health, Infectious Diseases, and Occupational Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine
  3. Senior Associate Consultant II-Research, Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine

EDUCATION

  1. Post Doctoral Fellowship - Children's Hospital Boston, Leukemia, epigenetics Harvard Medical School
  2. PhD - Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of Rochester School of Medicine
  3. Research Fellow - Neurosciences Harvard Medical School
  4. MS - Biochemistry and Biotechnology National Taiwan University
  5. BS - Biochemistry and Molecular Biology National Taiwan University

Clinical Studies

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Publications

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BIO-20583051

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