The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a private, nonprofit organisation of the leading researchers in the US and beyond. The NAS recognises and promotes outstanding science through election to membership; publication in its journal, PNAS; and its awards, programs, and special activities. Through the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the NAS provides objective, science-based advice on critical issues.
Yang Shi is Professor of Epigenetics in the Oxford Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, having previously worked at Harvard Medical School. His interests lie in identifying key epigenetic regulators of cancer, determining their mechanism of action and providing the conceptual basis for translating these basic findings to the clinic. Yang and his group discovered the first histone methyl eraser, LSD1, in 2004 and have demonstrated that histone methylation is dynamically regulated. In Oxford, Yang’s team focuses primarily on two cancers, acute myeloid leukaemia and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, where epigenetics have been shown to play a crucial role in the maintenance of a poorly differentiated state.
Congratulations to Yang!