Name: Tang Leihan

Academic qualifications:

1978.3-1981.7  B. Sc.   Univ. of Science  and Tech. of China

1981.9-1983.1  M. Sc.  Carnegie Mellon University

1983.2-1987.7  Ph.D.    Carnegie Mellon University

Previous academic positions held:

1996.1-1997.1   Lecture                    Imperial College

1997.1-2005.6  Associate Professor     Hong Kong Baptist University

Present academic position:

2007.5-   Professor    Hong Kong Baptist University

Previous relevant research work:

Living systems offer endless examples of spatio-temporalpatterns ranging from glycolytic oscillations in starved yeast cells tomorphogenesis in animaland plant development. Supporting this diverse spectrum of form and behavior isan intricate web of molecules and molecular reactions driven by energy. Usingmethods of none quilibrium statisticalphysics, we i) construct and analyze minimal but quantitative models to tracekey players and their interactionsfor a given phenomenon; ii) investigate molecular processes in specificorganisms to make contact withthe underlying physical and biochemical reality; iii) develop methodologies andtools for systematic analysis offeedback and regulation in a network setting to dissect biological complexityin connection with functional optimization. Close integration of thestatistical mechanical, biophysical, and systems research will contribute tothe revelation of themost-tightly kept secrets behind successful life strategies. Specificon-goingprojects include,

Metabolic regulation of micro-organisms

The biochemical processes underlying growth of the modelbacterium Escherichia coli have been carefully studied experimentally for more than half acentury, with vast knowledge collected on the properties of enzymes andpathways that make up itsmetabolic system. Yet there is limited understanding on how the cellorchestrates this metabolic repertoireto achieve fast growth. Our research aims at developing systematiccomputational methodologies to i)identify theregulatory interactions at work from genome-scale metabolic profiling data thatare becoming routinely available in recentyears; ii)examine the performance of regulatory schemes that incorporate theobserved interactions through model studies;iii)assist experimental investigations where bacteria growth is an importantcomponent in the system dynamics._.

Bacteria-based tumor therapy

Can engineered bacteria be equipped with magic toolstokill cancer cells? This question is addressed in the collaborative research project (CRF) by the HKU (PI:Dr. Jian-Dong Huang) and HKBU teams. On thecomputational side, we havedeveloped continuum models to profile celldensities and evaluate theeffectiveness of individual and combined strategies of the therapy.

Noise propagation in biochemical networks

How can genetically identical cells exhibit a broadrangeof phenotypes and responses? The search for answers to this questionpromptedactive experimental and theoretical investigation of noise in molecularnetworks in recent years. We study the auto-correlation of birth eventsin abiochemical network. The method gives a much more precise notion of noisegeneration andpropagation in molecular conversion pathways as well as regulatory cascades,and can also be used to treat non-Markovian processes with arbitrarywaiting-time distributions.

Recent Paper:

 1.  H.Zhi, L.-H. Tang, Y. Xia and J. Zhang,“Ssk1p-independent activation of Ssk2p plays an

      important role in the osmotic stress response in Saccharomycescerevisiae:

      alternativeactivation of Ssk2p in osmotic stress”, PLoS One 8, e54867 (2013).

 2.  B. Yu, M. Yang, L. Shi, Y. Yao, Q.Jiang, X. Li, L.-H.Tang, B. J. Zheng, K. Y. Yuen,

      D. K.Smith, E. Song, J. D. Huang, “Explicithypoxia targeting with tumor suppression by

      creating an "obligate"anaerobic Salmonella Typhimurium strain”, Scientific Reports 2, 436

      (2012).

 3.  X.Fu, L.-H. Tang, C. Liu, J.-D. Huang, T. Hwa, P.Lenz, “Stripe formation in bacterial systems

      with density-suppressed motility”, Phys. Rev.Lett. 108, 198102 (2012).

 4.  C.Liu,X. Fu, L. Liu, X. Ren, C.K.L. Chau, S. Li, L. Xiang, H. Zeng, G. Chen,L.-H. Tang,

      P. Lenz, X. Cui, W. Huang, T. Hwa, J.-D. Huang, “Sequentialestablishment of stripe pattern

      sin an expanding cell population”, Science 334, 238 (2011).

 5.  L.-P.Xiong,Y.Q. Ma, and L.-H. Tang. “Attenuation of transcriptionalbursting in mRNA

      transport”.Phys. Biol. 7,016005 (2010).

 6.  H. Hong, H. Chaté, H. Park,and L.-H. Tang, “Entrainment transition inpopulations of random

      frequency oscillators,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 99,184101 (2007).

 7.  ShengHui and Lei-Han Tang, “Groundstate and the glasstransition of the RNA secondary

      structure,” Euro.Phys. J.B 53, 77 (2006).

 8.  L.-H. Tang and P.-Q. Tong,“Zero-temperaturecriticality of the two-dimensional gauge-glass

      model,” Phys.Rev.Lett. 94, 207204(2005).

 9.  A. Mishra, M. Ma, F.-C.Zhang, S.Gürtler, L.-H. Tang, and S. Wan, “Directional Orderingof

      Fluctuations in a Two-dimensional CompassModel,” Phys. Rev.Lett. 93, 207201(2004).

10.  T.Hwa, E. Marinari, K.Sneppen, and L.-H. Tang, “Localization of denaturationbubbles in

      random DNA sequences,” Proc. NationalAcademy of Sciences,USA. 100, 4411-4416 (2003).

Awards and Recognitions:

 1.  Fellow, American Physical Society,2010

 2.  Recipient of the NSFC overseas young scientistcollaboration award (HK/Macau), 2006

 3.  HKBU Presidential award foroutstanding performancein scholarly work, 2003