Speakers

Duojia (DJ) Pan is a Professor of Molecular Biology & Genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Pan obtained B.S. in Biochemistry from Peking University (1988), Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from UCLA (1993), and a postdoctoral fellowship with Gerald Rubin at UC Berkeley (1993-1998). Prior to his current position, Dr. Pan was on the faculty at UT Southwestern (1998-2004).

Dr. Pan investigates the molecular mechanisms of growth control and tissue homeostasis. He is best known for pioneering work on the Hippo signaling pathway, an evolutionarily conserved developmental pathway that controls organ size in all animals. Using Drosophila as a model, his laboratory made a series of discoveries that defined, in a stepwise manner, the key molecular events in the Hippo signaling pathway. His team further established a critical role for the Hippo pathway in controlling mammalian organ size, regeneration and tumorigenesis. Besides research on the Hippo pathway, the Pan laboratory also elucidated the molecular function of the Tsc1 and Tsc2 tumor suppressor genes, linking Tsc1/Tsc2 to Rheb and TOR signaling. This work provided the key molecular insight for the use of mTOR inhibitors in the treatment of Tuberous Sclerosis. His current efforts are aimed at understanding the composition, mechanism and regulation of the Hippo pathway, elucidating its physiological roles in normal development and diseases, and discovery of chemical probes targeting the Hippo pathway.