Lin He

Lin He is a professor in molecular & cell biology and UC Berkeley with research interests in the functional importance of the non-coding genome. The number of protein-coding genes clearly fails to correlate with the developmental and pathological complexity in mammals. Her research group's overall research interest is to understand the unique biological functions and molecular regulation of various non-coding RNAs and transposable elements in development and disease. Her postdoctoral work has identified some of the first miRNAs in key oncogene and tumor suppressor pathways. Studies from her own lab have extended beyond mere identification of functionally important miRNAs; Her group aims to understand the distinct biological functions and molecular regulation conferred by miRNAs, long ncRNAs and retrotransposons in development and disease using an interdisciplinary approach combining mouse genetics, genomics, imaging studies, cell biology, and molecular biology. Their studies have provided important insights on the fundamental molecular mechanisms that govern the unique functional complexity of the non-coding genome.