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Le Cong
Associate Professor of Pathology (Pathology Research) and of Genetics
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Dr. Cong's research program spans from foundational genome engineering to building agentic AI and autonomous laboratories for biomedical discovery. His group develops advanced technologies for large-scale genome editing and cell therapy, while also leveraging these tools for single-cell functional screening to probe the mechanisms of innate immunity in cancer and neuro-immune diseases. To accelerate these efforts, the team pioneers the integration of AI foundation models into biology. Recent innovations include RNAGenesis foundation model for generative design of RNA, CRISPR-GPT as an AI agent system that automates complex gene-editing workflows, and LabOS, an AI-XR co-scientist platform that embeds reasoning directly into physical laboratory. Alongside upcoming initiatives like the MedOS, the group is building a vision to unify computational design with robotic execution to turn the lab into a programmable, AI-native environment.
The team's work led to one of the first CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tools for in vivo gene therapy. More recently, his group invented tools for cleavage-free large gene insertion using novel recombination proteins (SSAP editor) and developed machine-learning optimized single-cell methods (DAISY) for studying complex immune diseases. These tools are also being deployed with collaborators to study stem cell regeneration and brain aging.
Dr. Cong is a recipient of the NHGRI Genomic Innovator Award, and a Baxter Foundation Faculty Scholar. He has also been recognized among the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News (GEN) Top 10 Under 40, Clinical OMICs Pioneers Under 40, and is a Clarivate Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher.
The team's work led to one of the first CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tools for in vivo gene therapy. More recently, his group invented tools for cleavage-free large gene insertion using novel recombination proteins (SSAP editor) and developed machine-learning optimized single-cell methods (DAISY) for studying complex immune diseases. These tools are also being deployed with collaborators to study stem cell regeneration and brain aging.
Dr. Cong is a recipient of the NHGRI Genomic Innovator Award, and a Baxter Foundation Faculty Scholar. He has also been recognized among the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News (GEN) Top 10 Under 40, Clinical OMICs Pioneers Under 40, and is a Clarivate Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher.