Yin Lab

Circadian rhythm is a self-sustained 24 hour cycle which coordinates many important biological activities in response to environmental cues (1). There is emerging evidence suggesting that the impaired circadian rhythm may trigger and potentiate the pathogenesis of various chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Moreover, the modern lifestyle often causes an interruption in the internal clock systems, including prolonged light exposure, night-shift working schedule, jet-lagging as well as chronic high-fat dieting. Therefore, it is important to understand how the cross-regulation between circadian rhythm systems and environmental factors is achieved, and how these processes impact the onset, progression and therapy of a chronic disease. The long-term goal in my laboratory is to understand the molecular pathways coupling circadian rhythm and metabolisms in order to design novel approaches in prevention and treatment of diabetes.