Ngoc Tung Tran, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
- tungtran@iu.edu
- Phone
- 317-278-0333
- Address
-
R4 166
PHMB
Indianapolis, IN
Bio
After finishing the B.S from Hanoi University of Sciences, Hanoi, Vietnam, Dr. Tran went to KAIST, South of Korea, to pursuit his Ph.D. in stem cell biology. Then, as a postdoc, he joined Dr. Xinyang Zhao’s group, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, U.S, to work intensively on cancer biology, biochemistry, and hematopoiesis. Inspired by the thriving of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, he moved to Klaus Rajewsky’s laboratory, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany, to study hematopoiesis, lymphomagenesis, and immunity. Here, he has developed an efficient system to knock in and knock out genes in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This system can be broadly exploited to both modeling and developing gene therapy for blood disorders.
Dr. Tran joined the Department of Pediatrics at Indiana University in May 2021 to develop his independent research program aiming to study hematopoietic malignancies. His ultimate goal is to develop gene therapy and therapeutic approaches for blood disorders.
Key Publications
- Hong Phuong Nguyen, Anh Quynh Le, Enze Liu, Annamaria Cesarano, Francesco DiMeo, Fabiana Perna, Reuben Kapur, Brian A. Walker, Ngoc Tung Tran*. Protein arginine methyltransferase 1 is a therapeutic vulnerability in multiple myeloma. Frontiers in Immunology Vol 14, August 2023. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1239614.
- Ngoc Tung Tran , Eric Danner, Xun Li, Robin Graf, Mikhail Lebedin, Kathrin de la Rosa, Ralf Kühn , Klaus Rajewsky* and Van Trung Chu*. Precise CRISPR/Cas-mediated gene repair with minimal off-target and unintended on-target mutations in human hematopoietic stem cells. Science Advances8, Issue22, June 2022. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm9106.
- Hairui Su, Ming Jiang, Chamara Senevirathne, Srinivas Aluri, Tuo Zhang, Han Guo, Juliana Xavier-Ferrucio, Shuiling Jin, Ngoc-Tung Tran, Szu-Mam Liu, Chiao-Wang Sun, Yongxia Zhu, Qing Zhao, Yuling Chen, LouAnn Cable, Yudao Shen, Jing Liu, Cheng-Kui Qu, Xiaosi Han, Christopher A. Klug, Ravi Bhatia, Yabing Chen, Stephen D. Nimer, Y. George Zheng, Camelia Iancu-Rubin, Jian Jin, Haiteng Deng, Diane S. Krause, Jenny Xiang, Amit Verma*, Minkui Luo*, and Xinyang Zhao*. Methylation of Dual Specificity Phosphatase 4 Controls Cell Differentiation. Cell Reports Vol 36, issue 4, July 27, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109421
- Ngoc-Tung Tran, Robin Graf, Annika Wulf-Goldenberg, Maria Stecklum, Gabriele Strauß, Ralf Kühn, Klaus Rajewsky, and Van Trung Chu. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated ELANE mutation correction in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells to treat Severe Congenital Neutropenia. Molecular Therapy 28 No 12 December 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.08.004.
- Ngoc Tung Tran, Janine Trombke, Klaus Rajewsky, and Van Trung Chu. Protocol for Efficient CRISPR/Cas9/AAV-Mediated Homologous Recombination in Mouse Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells. STAR Protocol April 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2020.100028.
- Ngoc-Tung Tran, Thomas Sommermann, Janine Trombke, Robin Graf, Jenniffer Pempe, Kerstin Petsch, Ralf Kuehn, Klaus Rajewsky, and Van Trung Chu. Efficient homologous recombination in mouse hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. (Cell Reports 28, 3510–3522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.08.065)
- Thi Thanh Huong Le*, Ngoc-Tung Tran*, Thi Mai Lan Dao, Dinh Dung Nguyen, Huy Duong Do, Thi Lien Ha, Ralf Kuehn, Thanh Liem Nguyen, Klaus Rajewsky, Van Trung Chu. Efficient and precise CRISPR/Cas9-mediated MECP2 modifications: a potential therapeutic approach for Vietnamese RTT patients. ( Genet. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00625). * Co-first author
- Ngoc-Tung Tran, Sanum Bashir, Xun Li, Jana Rossius, Van T. Chu, Klaus Rajewsky, Ralf Ku¨hn. Enhancement of precise gene editing by the association of Cas9 with homologous recombination factors. ( Genet. (2019). doi: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00365.)
- Jin S, Su H, Tran NT, Song J, Lu SS, Li Y, Huang S, Abdel-Wahab O, Liu Y, Zhao X. Splicing factor SF3B1K700E mutant dysregulates erythroid differentiation via aberrant alternative splicing of transcription factor TAL1. PLoS One. 2017 May 18;12(5): e0175523. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175523. eCollection 2017.
- Chu VT, Graf R, Wirtz T, Weber T, Favret J, Li X, Petsch K, Tran NT, Sieweke MH, Berek C, Kühn R, Rajewsky K. Efficient CRISPR-mediated mutagenesis in primary immune cells using CrispRGold and a C57BL/6 Cas9 transgenic mouse line. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Nov 1;113(44):12514-12519. Epub 2016 Oct 11.
- Ngoc-Tung Tran, Hairui Su, Li Zhang, Alireza Khodadadi-Jamayran, Shan Lin, Dewang Zhou, Kevin Pawlik, Tim Townes, James C. Mulloy, and Xinyang Zhao. Long noncoding RNA (AS-RBM15) controls RBM15 translation to promote megakaryocyte differentiation. EMBO Rep. 2016 Jun;17(6):887-900. doi: 10.15252/embr.201541970. Epub 2016 Apr 26.
- Li Zhang*, Ngoc-Tung Tran*, Hairui Su, Rui Wang, Yuheng Lu, Haiping Tang, Ailan Guo, Alireza Khodadadi-Jamayran, Dewang Zhou, Kun Qian, Wenping Zhou, Todd Hricik, Jocelyn Côté, Xiaosi Han, Suparna Laha, Omar Abdel-Wahab, Ross Levine, Glen Raffel, Yanyan Liu, Dongquan Chen, Haitao Li, Tim Townes, Hengbin Wang, Haiteng Deng, Y. George Zheng, Christina Leslie, Minkui Luo, and Xinyang Zhao. Crosstalk between PRMT1-mediated methylation and ubiquitylation on RBM15 controls RNA splicing. 2015 Nov 17;4. pii: e07938. doi: 10.7554/eLife.07938. * Co-first author.
- H Su, NT Tran, H Guo, M Luo, X Zhao. PRMT1-Mediated Methylation of DUSP4 Determines Megakaryocyte-Erythroid Lineage Choice By Regulating p38 Signaling. Blood 126 (23), 2387-2387.
- X Zhao, NT Tran, D Zhou, H Su, L Zhang, TM Townes. Transcription Activation of an Antisense Long Noncoding RNA (lnc-Mega1) of RBM15 By RUNX1 Enhances Megakaryocyte Differentiation. Blood 124 (21), 4305-4305
- Sang-Wook Park; Jihoon Kim; Jong-Lyul Park; Ji-Yun Ko; Ilkyun Im; Hyo-Sang Do; Ngoc-Tung Tran; Hyemin Kim; Sang-Hun Lee; Yong Sung Kim; Yee Sook Cho; Dong Ryul Lee; Yong-Mahn Han. Variable allelic expression of imprinted genes in human pluripotent stem cells during differentiation into specialized cell types in vitro. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2014 Apr 4;446(2):493-8.
- Tran NT, Trinh QM, Lee GM, and Han YM. Efficient Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Modulating Intracellular Signaling Pathways in a Feeder/Serum-Free System. Stem Cells Dev. 2012 May 1; 21(7):1165-75.
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | PhD | Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology |
| 2006 | BS | Vietnam National University |
My long-term research goals are to understand the functional consequences of mutations driving hematopoietic diseases/malignancies and develop novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases.
Hematopoietic stem cells are self-renewing and multipotent cells that give rise to all types of blood cells in the body. Mutations in single genes might cause severe blood-related diseases. Understanding the functional consequences of these mutations is crucial for therapy development. I have developed an efficient system to knock in and knock out genes in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). This is an ideal system to study in vivo functions of novel genes in hematopoiesis as well as to model blood-related disorders-driving mutations, bypassing the need for germline transmission. Furthermore, I have established a CRISPR/Cas9-based system to efficiently repair mutations in human HSPCs at multiple disease-relevant loci (HBB, FANCG, and ELANE) with minimal off-target activities and unwanted on-target mutations. This will hopefully lead to a promising gene therapy to treat monogenic blood disorders.
These key achievements create a strong foundation for my future research programs that include both clinically oriented (Modeling and developing gene therapy for hematopoietic disorders) and basic research (Exploring novel in vivo functions of genes in hematopoiesis and lymphomagenesis).
Active projects:
1. Developing Spacer-Nick-based gene therapy for Fanconi Anemia group C.
2. Functions of the oligosaccharyltransferase complex in multiple myeloma.
3. Functions of protein arginine methyltransferases in multiple myeloma.