Dr. He is an experimental and computational biologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. His research focuses on cancer epigenetics and noncoding RNA in cancer.

Dr. He obtained his PhD in molecular biology and bioinformatics at the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008. He then received postdoctoral training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard University. Dr. He was recruited as a scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and assistant professor at the Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto in 2013. He was promoted to senior scientist in 2018 and professor in 2022.

The He laboratory applies a variety of genomic, epigenomic experimental and computational approaches to decipher epigenetic and epitranscriptomic regulation in Cancer, focusing on three major directions: 1. Understand epigenetic and epitranscriptomic regulation in cancer development, progression, drug response and resistance. 2. Identify epigenetic and epitranscriptomic biomarkers in tumor and liquid biopsies. 3. Target cancer specific epigenetic and epitranscriptomic regulation for cancer therapy, with a focus on RNA therapy.

Dr. He has authored over 100 publications at high profile journals including Nature (2016), Cell (2018, 2019), Nature Genetics (2016, 2020), Nature Cell Biology (2021) and Gastroenterology (2022). The translational research in Dr. He’s laboratory has resulted in application of clinical trials and patents. Dr. He has received many distinctions and recognitions, including the Bernard and Francine Dorval Prize from Canadian Cancer Society, a few new investigator awards from national funding agencies, as well as being named a rising star in prostate cancer research by Prostate Cancer Canada.