PhD.  Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, 2003

BSc.  Department of Biochemical Enginering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China, 1996

Research Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 2010-2012

Research Fellow,  Vanderibilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 2004-2010

Stem cell biology, zebrafish-based drug screening and protein engineering.

My current research mainly focuses on 1) improving iPS cell reprogramming methods; 2) chemical approaches for stem cell/iPS cell cardiomyogenesis, and 3) zebrafish-based drug screening.

By zebrafish-based screening, we have identified a number of small molecules which can modulate key signaling pathways such as BMP, Wnt/β-catenin and Hedgehog pathways. As these key signaling pathways are involved in stem cell fate decisions and many types of human diseases including cancer, the small molecules that modulate these key pathways may control stem cell differentiation as well as serve leads for drug development. 

American Heart Association
 

Articles

Sheng, CC., Zhou, L. and Hao, J.* (2013) “Current Stem Cell Delivery Methods for Myocardial Repair”, BioMed Research International (formerly titled Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology), Article ID 547902 (*corresponding author)

Ao A, Hao J, Hopkins CR and Hong CC. (2012) “DMH1, a Novel BMP Small Molecule Inhibitor, Increases Cardiomyocyte Progenitors and Promotes Cardiac Differentiation in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells”, PLoS One, 7, e41627

Wiley, DM., Kim, JD, Hao, J., Hong, CC., Bautch, VL., Jin, SK. (2011) “Distinct signaling pathways regulate sprouting angiogenesis from the dorsal aorta and axial vein” Nature Cell Biology, 13,686–692

Hao, J*,Sawyer, DB., Hatzopoulos, AK and Hong,CC (2011) “Recent progress on chemical biology of pluripotent stem cell: self-renewal, reprogramming and cardiomyogenesis”, Recent Patents on Regenerative Medicine, 1, 263-274, (*corresponding author)

Ao, A., Hao, J, Hong, CC. (2011) “Regenerative chemical biology: current challenges and future potentials”, Chemistry & Biology, 18, 413-424

Wang, H., Hao, J*, Hong, CC. (2011) “Cardiac induction of embryonic stem cells by a small molecule inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signalling”, ACS Chemical Biology, 6, 192–197, (*co-first author and co-corresponding author)

Ao, A, Williams, CH, Hao, J*, Hong, CC. (2011) “Modified mouse embryonic stem cell based assay for quantifying cardiogenic induction efficiency”,J Vis Exp., 50, 2656. (*co-corresponding author)

Hao, J, Williams, C H., Webb, M E., Hong, CC. (2010) “Large scale zebrafish-based in vivo small molecule screen”, J. Vis. Exp., 46, 2243

Hao, J, Ho, JN, Lewis, JA, Karim, K, Daniels, RN, Gentry, PR, Hopkins, CR, Lindsley, CW and Hong CC. (2010) “In vivo structure activity relationship study of dorsomorphin analogs identifies selective VEGF and BMP inhibitors”,ACS Chemical Biology, 5, 245–253

Hao,J., Daleo MA, Murphy, CK, Yu, PB, Ho, JN, Hu J, Peterson, RT., Hatzopoulos, AK., Hong, CC. (2008) “Dorsomorphin, a Selective Small Molecule Inhibitor of BMP Signaling, Promotes Cardiomyogenesis in Embryonic Stem Cells”, PLoS ONE, 3, e2904

Hao, J., Vann, WF., Hinderlich, S. and Sundaramoorthy, M. (2006)“Elimination of 2-keto-3-dexoy-D-glycero-D-galacto-nonulosonic acid 9-phosphate synthase activity from human N-acetylneuraminic acid 9-phosphate synthase by a single mutation”, Biochem. J. 397, 195-201

Hao, J., Balagurumoorthy, P., Sarilla, S. and Sundaramoorthy, M. (2005)“Cloning, expression and characterization of sialic acid synthases”, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 338,1507-1514

Hao, J.and Berry, A. (2004) “A thermostable variant of fructose bisphosphate aldolase constructed by directed evolution also shows increased stability in organic solvents”, Protein Eng, Des and Sel. 17, 689-697

Books and Book Chapters

Han, G.F., Wang, H.T., and Hao, J.*(2013) "Molecular Mechanisms of Embryonic Stem Cell Pluripotency", Pluripotent Stem Cells / Book 1", INTECH press, ISBN 980-953-307-708-1 (*corresponding author, in press).

Ao, A., Hao, J., Hong, CC, (2013) Book: "From cells to therapies: recent progress in regenerative medicine”.John Wiley & Sons Inc (in process).

Hao, J., Zhou, L., Hong, CC. (2011) “Chemical biology of pluripotent stem cells: Focus on cardiomyogenesis”, Embryonic Stem Cells - Recent Advances in Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Regenerative Medicine, INTECH, ISBN: 978-953-307-1985, 51-64

Hao,J., Daleo, MA and Hong, CC. (2010) “Crosstalk between mitogen activated protein kinase and phosphoinositide-3 kinase signalling pathways in development and disease”, Systems Biology for Signaling Networks, , Springer, New York, ISBN:978-144-195-7962, 505-529

Patents

Hong, CC. Hao, J., Ao, A. and Kwangho, K., “Compounds and methods for inhibition of wnt signaling”, US patent application No: US 61/508,919 (pending).

Hong, CC. Hao, J., Frist, A., Williams, CH., “Compounds and methods for inhibition of hedgehog signaling”, US patent application No: US 61/524,428 (pending).

Hong, CC., Hopkins, C R., Hatzopoulos, AK., Lindsley, CW and Hao, J.“Compounds and methods useful for directing stem cell differentiation”, US patent application No:12/537,037 (pending)