Jijun Huang, Ph.D.

Huang brings a translational lens to cardiovascular research, using advanced molecular tools to study the biology of heart maturation and failure. He combines single-cell and long-read sequencing technologies, spatial transcriptomics and multi-omic profiling to capture the complex biomechanics and cellular interactions of heart failure, as well as to identify novel transcript isoforms and regulatory networks driving development and disease.

Huang’s work has shed light on the role of the RNA splicing factor RBFox1 in driving the postnatal maturation of cardiomyocytes. His research also centers on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, or HFpEF — a complex and poorly understood form of heart failure that disproportionately affects older adults, especially women, and those with conditions like hypertension, obesity and diabetes. By integrating transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic data, Huang aims not only to map disease-relevant pathways but also to model heart disease in a dish with more mature stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, laying the groundwork for precise personalized medicine and cell-based therapies.

With approaches that span both wet lab experimentation and bioinformatics, Huang is also leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate discovery in cardiovascular science.