Zhao Lai, Ph.D.

Dr. Zhao Lai is the Director of the Genome Sequencing Facility (GSF) of Greehey CCRI at the University of Texas Health at San Antonio (UTHSA). The GSF utilizes high throughput sequencing platforms to generate high-quality genomic data and provides support to its analysis for a large number of faculty members at Greehey CCRI, May’s Cancer Center, and UTHSA entire campus. The GSF focuses on the various aspects of functional genomics and applications using next-generation sequencing technology. Especially, the GSF assists the PIs to carry out various aspects of genomic studies such as heterogeneity of cell population, cancer driver/rare mutation characterization, biomarker development, and gene expression regulation and network of pathways, using NGS technology.

Dr. Zhao Lai was trained as a genomics scientist with over 20 years of extensive research experience and has co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and several book chapters. She has guided the establishment and development of every aspect of the Genome Sequencing Facility, including project budgeting and coordination, equipment acquisition and maintenance, training and supervising staff scientists, establishing all standard operating procedures (SOPs), creating a working pipeline from experimental design through subsequent data interpretation of experiments with investigators, and assessing the current and future NGS needs to satisfy the diverse research portfolio of the UTHSA scientific community. As the Director of GSF, Dr. Lai has continually established and significantly expanded the NGS services to develop a comprehensive portfolio of NGS protocols, secured NIH instrument grant S10 to improve the genomic infrastructure, contributed multiple high throughput sequencing studies, and supported diverse biomedical research applications and numerous NIH funded projects.

• Publications

  Hollister EB, Foster BA, Dahdouli M, Ramirez J, Lai Z. Characterization of the Stool Microbiome in Hispanic Preschool Children by Weight Status and Time. Childhood obesity (Print). 2017; PubMed [journal] PMID: 29028448

  Liu Y, Wu P, Zhou J, Johnson-Pais TL, Lai Z, Chowdhury WH, Rodriguez R, Chen Y. XBSeq2: a fast and accurate quantification of differential expression and differential polyadenylation. BMC bioinformatics. 2017; 18(Suppl 11):384. PubMed [journal] PMID: 28984183, PMCID: PMC5629564

  Sanchez HN, Shen T, Garcia D, Lai Z, Casali P, Zan H. Genome-wide Analysis of HDAC Inhibitor-mediated Modulation of microRNAs and mRNAs in B Cells Induced to Undergo Class-switch DNA Recombination and Plasma Cell Differentiation. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE. 2017; (127). NIHMSID: NIHMS912633 PubMed [journal] PMID: 28994753, PMCID: PMC5731236

  Akiel M, Guo C, Li X, Rajasekaran D, Mendoza RG, Robertson CL, Jariwala N, Yuan F, Subler MA, Windle J, Garcia DK, Lai Z, Chen HH, Chen Y, Giashuddin S, Fisher PB, Wang XY, Sarkar D. IGFBP7 Deletion Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancer research. 2017; 77(15):4014-4025. PubMed [journal] PMID: 28619711

  Srivastava J, Robertson CL, Ebeid K, Dozmorov M, Rajasekaran D, Mendoza R, Siddiq A, Akiel MA, Jariwala N, Shen XN, Windle JJ, Subler MA, Mukhopadhyay ND, Giashuddin S, Ghosh S, Lai Z, Chen Y, Fisher PB, Salem AK, Sanyal AJ, Sarkar D. A novel role of astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) in regulating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.). 2017; 66(2):466-480. NIHMSID: NIHMS870715 PubMed [journal] PMID: 28437865, PMCID: PMC5519412

  Shen-Gunther J, Wang Y, Lai Z, Poage GM, Perez L, Huang TH. Deep sequencing of HPV E6/E7 genes reveals loss of genotypic diversity and gain of clonal dominance in high-grade intraepithelial lesions of the cervix. BMC genomics. 2017; 18(1):231. PubMed [journal] PMID: 28288568, PMCID: PMC5348809

  Jadhav RR, Wang YV, Hsu YT, Liu J, Garcia D, Lai Z, Huang TH, Jin VX. Methyl-binding DNA capture Sequencing for Patient Tissues. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE. 2016; (116). NIHMSID: NIHMS837224 PubMed [journal] PMID: 27842364, PMCID: PMC5203769

  Horning AM, Awe JA, Wang CM, Liu J, Lai Z, Wang VY, Jadhav RR, Louie AD, Lin CL, Kroczak T, Chen Y, Jin VX, Abboud-Werner SL, Leach RJ, Hernandez J, Thompson IM, Saranchuk J, Drachenberg D, Chen CL, Mai S, Huang TH. DNA methylation screening of primary prostate tumors identifies SRD5A2 and CYP11A1 as candidate markers for assessing risk of biochemical recurrence. The Prostate. 2015; 75(15):1790-801.PubMed [journal] PMID: 26332453