Dr. Rongbin Zheng's research combines computational method development with biological discovery to understand how molecular regulation and cell–cell communication shape metabolic diseases and cancer. Through training at Tongji University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Boston Children’s Hospital, he has contributed to widely used genomics resources and studies published in Cell, Nature Metabolism, Nucleic Acids Research, and other leading journals, with over 3,800 citations in total.

Dr. Zheng have developed bioinformatics tools and integrated multi-omics data to study metabolic communication and gene regulatory responses, with applications in cancer immunology, adipose biology, and vascular biology. His contributions to the Cistrome Data Browser and Cistrome DB Toolkit, a platform to study TF, histone modification, and chromatin accessibility, have supported the broader research community, with these resources collectively cited more than 1,500 times. He also developed MEBOCOST to investigate metabolite-mediated intercellular communication (mCCC) using single-cell transcriptomics. Using MEBOCOST, he revealed mCCC regulation in white adipose tissue with different BMI as well as mCCC important to brown adipocyte differentiation during cold exposure. In addition, Dr. Zheng's research uncovered a quick and interesting mechanism underlying H2A.Z-mediated 3D genome organization in response to acute hormonal signaling activation in brown adipocytes, provideing additional layer to themogenic gene regulation.

Dr. Zheng's research accomplishments were recognized with an NIH NHGRI K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, supporting his investigation of the genetic regulation of cell–cell communication. Building on these achievements, his Computational Multiomics Lab develops AI-driven approaches that connect molecular layers, spatial context, and cellular interactions to uncover disease mechanisms.

K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Pathway Award HG013662

Title: Computational Technology for Single-Cell Functional Genomics
Major goal: Elucidate the intricate roles of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human diseases in the context of cell-cell communication within tissue.
Total budget: $1,071,068