The Scheie Eye Institute welcomes Yuyan Cheng, PhD, an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology. Dr. Cheng leads Cheng Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, with her team focusing on retinal degenerative disorders using single-cell and spatial genomics approaches.
Dr. Cheng specializes in probing functional genomics, computational biology, and experimental animal models to understand the biology of neurodegeneration—and, further, discover potential therapeutics for neural repair. The central vision of Cheng Lab is to understand how neurons age, respond to degenerative insults and injuries—and, critically, how they fail to self-repair. By dissecting the molecular and cellular events shaping neuronal functions after acute or chronic damage, Dr. Cheng and her team aim to inform potential therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases and—more broadly—neural repair. The primary approach of Cheng Lab integrates single-cell genomics and spatial transcriptomics with CRISPR-based genetic tools to profile and perturb neurons, including their cell-cell interactions with the environment during health and disease. Focusing on retinal and optic nerve degenerative disorders, they aim to translate genomic findings to gene and cell therapies that can restore lost visual functions in patients.
Dr. Cheng received her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, where she studied under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Jope. Her doctoral research focused on the interactions between the immune system and the brain in the development of psychiatric disorders such as depression. Following her PhD, Dr. Cheng joined the Geschwind Lab as she pursued postdoctoral training at the University of California, Los Angeles. As a postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Cheng examined system genomics and experimental biology approaches to understand neuronal regeneration. Dr. Cheng's research interests lie at the intersection of functional genomics, bioinformatics, and neuroscience. Among numerous publications, Dr. Cheng has co-authored several influential papers, including studies on molecular cascades and cell-type-specific signatures in autism spectrum disorders, integrin-driven axon regeneration in the spinal cord, and the transcriptional programs controlling injury-induced neurodegeneration of retinal ganglion cells. Her work has been featured in prominent journals such as Science, Neuron, and Nature Communications. Outside of her professional endeavors, Dr. Cheng enjoys staying active and creative through various sports, including swimming, skiing, and tennis.