BIOE 500 Fall 2025 - Dr. Boxuan Zhao

Engineering a Multi-Omic Toolbox to Decode Cell-Cell Communication Networks

Abstract: Cell-cell communication drives virtually every biological process, from neural circuit formation to cancer progression. However, our ability to map these complex interaction networks has been fundamentally limited by existing technologies that sacrifice either resolution or scale. In this talk, I will present a suite of innovative bioengineering tools we've developed to overcome these limitations and decode cellular conversations at unprecedented detail.

I'll focus on Connectome-seq, our breakthrough sequencing-based method that translates connectivity mapping into a genomics problem, enabling simultaneous profiling of thousands of neural connections with single-synapse resolution. I'll also discuss our proximity labeling platforms for molecular profiling of specific cellular compartments and our integrated multi-omics approaches for studying pathological communication networks.

These technologies could reveal new biology in diverse contexts—from understanding how glioblastomas hijack neural circuits to mapping circuit dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. Our goal is to create precision tools that transform cellular communication from an abstract concept into quantifiable, targetable networks for therapeutic intervention.

Biography: Boxuan Zhao is Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University, Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Chicago with Chuan He and completed postdoctoral training in bioengineering and neuroscience at Stanford University with Alice Ting and Liqun Luo. His research develops innovative sequencing and proximity labeling technologies to map cell-cell communication networks and RNA biology in health and disease.