Leifu Chang

Title:

Associate Professor

PhD Granting Institution:

Tsinghua University

Contact:

Email Address: lchang18@purdue.edu
Office Phone: 765-494-0748
Lab Website Link: https://www.bio.purdue.edu/lab/chang/index.html

Primary Training Group:

Biomolecular Structure and Biophysics

Secondary Training Groups:

Chemical Biology

Research Areas:

Structural and mechanistic studies of CRISPR systems, focusing on RNA-guided nucleic acid recognition, transposition, and transcription regulation using cryo-EM, biochemical, and cellular approaches.

Current Projects:

Mechanisms of target DNA recognition and cleavage by CRISPR–Cas12 nucleases RNA-guided DNA integration by CRISPR-associated transposons (CASTs) RNA-guided transcriptional regulation by CRISPR effectors

Importance of Interdisciplinary Research:

We take an interdisciplinary approach to investigate CRISPR mechanisms at multiple levels. We integrate structural biology (cryo-EM), biochemistry, molecular cloning, protein purification, and cellular assays to study how RNA-guided systems function. Structural analysis provides the atomic framework, while biochemical and cellular tools reveal dynamics and regulatory outcomes. This integration allows us to examine biological processes from molecular recognition to function in living cells.