Xiaoliang Sunney Xie

CAS academician, Peking University 

Xiaoliang Sunney Xie, one of the pioneers in the field of international single-molecule biophysical chemistry, has made significant contributions to coherent Raman scattering microscopy and single-cell genomics. His efforts have propelled the development and application of single-molecule enzymology, label-free optical imaging technology, and single-cell omics analysis. 

In 2012, Xie's laboratory developed a novel method called multiple annealing and looping-based amplification cycles (MALBAC) for uniform single-cell whole-genome amplification. On Sept 19, 2014, the world's first MALBAC baby was born at Peking University Third Hospital, placing China's pre-implantation genetic diagnosis technology for embryos at the forefront of the world. The MALBAC technique invented by Xie and his team has benefited more than a thousand couples in China in avoiding the transmission of their monogenic diseases to their newborns. 

Current research interests of Xie’s research group include: 

1. Development of single-cell sequencing technologies, such as single-cell genome sequencing, RNA sequencing, methylation sequencing, chromatin 3D structure analysis, detection of chromatin accessibility, and single-cell multiomics. 

2. Applications of single-cell sequencing technologies in gene expression regulation, including the mechanisms of transcription factor-mediated gene expression, dynamic changes in epigenetic modifications during early embryonic development, and how epigenetics coordinate to influence gene regulatory network construction. 

3. Applications of single-cell sequencing technologies in medical transformation, including early cancer screening and diagnosis, non-invasive prenatal genetic screening, and high-throughput antibody drug screening.