The Gao lab has broad interests in adult stem cells and diseases in mammals.

Our work has focused in the cell lineage plasticity, a critical mechanism for cell survive in response to tissue damage, disease progression and therapy resistance. We have identified prostate adult stem cells and are beginning to understand their cell lineage plasticity in cancer initiation. We also have an increasing interest in cancer cell lineage plasticity in response to genetic/epigenetic alterations and targeted therapies.

To study the cell lineage plasticity, we have been generating precise genetic lineage tracing technologies, genetic engineered mouse models, single cell sequencing tools, etc. These platforms and tools allowing us to investigate the cell lineage hierarchy of normal tissues and cancers. As part of this effort we are generating normal tissue organoids biobanks, human cancer organoids biobanks to define the molecular mechanism of cancer cell lineage plasticity and potential therapeutic strategies.