Yishi Jin is a Chinese-American neurobiologist who is a professor at the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, fil ...
. She is interested in neural development and regeneration in
nematode
The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...
''
Caenorhabditis elegans
''Caenorhabditis elegans'' () is a free-living transparent nematode about 1 mm in length that lives in temperate soil environments. It is the type species of its genus. The name is a blend of the Greek ''caeno-'' (recent), ''rhabditis'' (ro ...
''. Jin is a Fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
,
American Academy of Arts and Sciences and
American Society for Cell Biology.
Early life and education
Jin studied cell biology at the
Peking University
Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education.
Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...
. She moved to the
United States for graduate studies, where she worked at
University of California, Berkeley. After earning her doctorate, Jin joined
Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral fellow.
Research and career
In 1996 Jin was appointed to the faculty at
University of California, Santa Cruz, and by 2003 she had been promoted to Professor. In 2007 Jin joined the
University of California, San Diego as a Professor of Neurobiology. Jin has studied the communication of neurons, formation of synapses, role of neural circuitry in controlling movement and regeneration of axons. Neural communication is mediated by axons that transmit electrical and chemical signals, which are received by receptor proteins.
She showed that the protein
DLK1
Protein delta homolog 1, delta like non-canonical Notch ligand 1, fetal antigen 1 or preadipocyte factor 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''DLK1'' gene.
It is expressed as a transmembrane protein, but a soluble form cleaved off by ...
helps these axons to find their way, through a series of specific chemical signals. At the receiver end, Jin has shown that the quality of neurons is evaluated by the EBAX-1 and
hsp90, which serve to identify defects and fix any flaws.
Jin has investigated the nerve fibres involved with
neuroregeneration. During her investigations, she identified a new genetic pathway – the
piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) – the is involved with the rehabilitation of neuron damage.
Jin believes that piRNA may be an effective therapeutic pathway, offering hope for the regeneration of axons.
She spent 2016 as a neurobiology resident at
Aix-Marseille University, where she studied traumatic brain injury and the regulators that initiate axon regrowth.
In 2018 Jin was named the inaugural Junior Seau Endowed Faculty Chair in Traumatic Brain Injury. The position was established in honour of
Junior Seau, a member of the
NFL Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...
, who suffered from
chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Jin was selected as the chair holder because of her research into the effective treatment and prevention of traumatic brain injury.
As an advocate for improving young people's access to science, Jin committed to using the position to advocate for
K–12 education and better safety in sports.
Awards and honours
* 1997 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow
* 2000
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
* 2003
Geisel Library
Geisel Library is the main library building of the University of California, San Diego. It is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel. Theodor is better known as children's author Dr. Seuss. The building's distinctive architecture, des ...
Honored Faculty and Honored Books
* 2010 Elected Fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
* 2017
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$2.03 billion. The ...
Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award
* 2019 Elected Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
* 2020 Elected Fellow of the
American Society for Cell Biology
Selected publications
*
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jin, Yishi
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
American women neuroscientists
Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Peking University alumni
University of California, Berkeley alumni
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Fellows of the American Society for Cell Biology
21st-century American women scientists
21st-century American biologists
American women biologists
American neuroscientists
21st-century Chinese scientists
Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers