Di Zhang Ph.D
Post-doctoral Associate
Yale School of Medicine
Title: Spatial Multi-Omics: Dissecting the Dynamics of Brain Development and Disease
Abstract: While single-cell multi-omics has significantly improved our ability to identify and characterize different cell types, the profound complexity and regional heterogeneity of the mammalian brain require more refined spatial resolution analysis to elucidate its functions and disease mechanisms. In this talk, I will first introduce the first-of-its-kind spatial multi-omics technologies that I have developed—namely, spatial ATAC–RNA-seq and spatial CUT&Tag–RNA-seq. These technologies utilize deterministic barcoding in tissue (DBiT) to enable unbiased, genome-wide co-profiling of epigenome and transcriptome on the same tissue section at the cellular level, providing innovative ways to explore gene regulation mechanisms within the tissue context. In the second part of the talk, I will demonstrate how spatial multi-omics technologies are enabling new discoveries in biology. By integrating spatial multi-omics sequencing with multiplexed immunofluorescence imaging, we have constructed spatiotemporal tri-omics maps of developing mouse and human brains at various stages. We have also mapped the brains of a neuroinflammation mouse model. Looking ahead, my goal is to advance the boundaries of spatial multi-omics through continuous technological development. This will not only deepen our understanding of developmental and disease mechanisms in the brain and other biological systems but also pave the way for new therapeutic strategies and research avenues across a broad spectrum of biomedical challenges.
Bio: Dr. Di Zhang is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Rong Fan’s lab in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Yale University. She specializes in developing cutting-edge spatial multi-omics technologies to address complex biological challenges in neuroscience and neuropathology. She received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Southeast University in 2019. Dr. Zhang has received several awards, such as the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Trainee Professional Development Award in 2024 and the BMES Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Postdoctoral Researcher Travel Award in 2025.