Email

dongyin.guan@bcm.edu

Positions

Assistant Professor

Medicine - Endocrinology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Assistant Professor

Molecular & Cellular Biology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Member

Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Member

Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Addresses

Alkek Building for Biomedical Research (Office)

Room: ABBR-R615
Houston, TX 77030
United States
dongyin.guan@bcm.edu

Education

PhD from Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland

Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

Professional Interests

• The impacts of environmental factors and genetic background on physiological rhythms using cutting-edge functional epigenomic approaches.

Professional Statement

Circadian rhythms allow mammals to anticipate daily environmental changes and maintain physiological homeostasis. Circadian misalignment is correlated to many metabolic diseases based on epidemiological studies. For example, night shift workers and individuals with sleep disorders are at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and related metabolic diseases, similar to the effects of overnutrition. The PI has established a connection between circadian remodeling and metabolic dysfunction associated with fatty liver disease in diet-induced obesity mice (Cell 2018 PMID: 30057115 and Science 2020 PMID: 32732282). The recent research focus in the Guan lab includes investigating the impacts of environmental factors and genetic background on physiological rhythms using cutting-edge functional epigenomic approaches (Nature Communications 2025, Cell Metabolism 2025). The Guan lab is highly collaborative and integrative of unbiased multiple-omics and loss-of-function tools to develop innovative chrono-pharmacological and chrono-nutritive therapeutic strategies relating to metabolic diseases and cancer.
The Guan Lab is looking for talented individuals to join our team. We value dedication, collaboration, a positive attitude, and perseverance. The lab is currently receiving graduate students at BCM for rotation and recruiting postdoctoral researchers and research technicians.

Websites

Videos

Selected Publications

• Guan D, Xiong Y, Trinh TM, Xiao Y, Hu W, Jiang C, Dierickx P, Jang C, Rabinowitz JD, Lazar MA. "The hepatocyte clock and feeding control chronophysiology of multiple liver cell types." Science. 2020 Sep 11;369(6509):1388-1394. Pubmed PMID: 32732282
• Guan D, Xiong Y, Borck PC, Jang C, Doulias PT, Papazyan R, Fang B, Jiang C, Zhang Y, Briggs ER, Hu W, Steger D, Ischiropoulos H, Rabinowitz JD, Lazar MA. "Diet-Induced Circadian Enhancer Remodeling Synchronizes Opposing Hepatic Lipid Metabolic Processes." Cell. 2018 Aug 9;174(4):831-842.
• Guan D, Lazar MA. "Interconnections between circadian clocks and metabolism." J Clin Invest. 2021 Aug 2;131(5):e148278. Pubmed PMID: 34338232
• Zhou D, Chen Y, Liu P, Zhu K, Holder-Haynes J, Lloyd SJ, La CM, Astapova II, Choa S, Xiong Y, Bae H, Aguilar M, Yang H, An YA, Sun Z, Herman MA, Gao X, Pei L, Jang C, Rabinowitz JD, Mattar SG, Zhang Y, Guan D. "Genetics-nutrition interactions control diurnal enhancer-promoter dynamics and liver lipid metabolism." Cell Metab. 2025 Oct 7;37(10):1961-1979. Pubmed PMID: 40858101

Funding

Recruitment of First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty Members

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

CPRIT Scholar

Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (K01)

NIDDK

MERIT R37 - #CA296577

( 06/01/2025 - 05/31/2030 )

Grant funding from NCI