Chen Laboratory

For our life events, timing is everything. That holds true for individual cells as well.

The circadian clock is our biological timer, governing cellular and physiological functions in our body. Using an integrative approach, the Chen lab is primarily interested in understanding how the clock works throughout lifespan, and how we can manipulate the clock for interventional purposes. In collaboration with highly accomplished colleagues, we performed pioneering work which led to identification and characterization of clock-modulating small molecules in metabolic disease and aging. Building on these exciting studies, we continue to investigate circadian functions in both the periphery and the brain, and how they impact clock-related diseases, aging and neurodegeneration.

We welcome highly motivated and curiosity-driven scientists to join our fearless pursuit of impactful research. We also embrace mutually beneficial collaborative opportunities.