Gang Bao
Rice University, USA
2024

Dr. Gang Bao is the Foyt Family Professor and Chair of the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University. Dr. Bao received both his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (1976) and M.S. in Applied Mechanics (1980) from Shandong University, and his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics (1987) from Lehigh University. Dr. Bao had postdoc training at Peking University and University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Bao’s current research is focused on the development of genome editing technologies for treating single-gene disorders including sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis, and nanomedicine based approaches for the detection and treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Bao has made outstanding contributions to the genome editing, nanomedicine and molecular bioengineering fields. He was the first to design and optimize CRISPR/Cas9 systems for efficient and specific editing of beta-globin gene for curing sickle cell disease, and is one of the pioneers in designing tools to predict off-target cutting by gene editors include Zinc Finger Nucleases, Transcription Activator-like Effector Nucleases, and CRISPR/Cas9 systems. Dr. Bao’s analysis of unintended on-target large gene modifications is a major contribution to the new FDA guidelines for genome editing based gene therapy products. Dr. Bao’s major contributions to nanomedicine and molecular bioengineering include molecular beacons for imaging gene expression in living cells; magnetic nanoparticles for in vivo delivery, magnetic heating and biomedical imaging; and multifunctional nanoparticles for cancer therapy. He played outstanding leadership roles in nanomedicine, as demonstrated by his concurrently leading two large NIH-funded nanomedicine centers to develop and apply nanotechnologies to address unmet clinical needs.

Dr. Bao has published more than 250 papers in peer-reviewed journals and received 11 patents. Dr. Bao is a Fellow of the American Association of Advancement in Science, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Physical Society, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Society, and the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering.