Han Chunyu, an associate professor at a little-known Chinese university, shocked the scientific world with his discovery of a new gene-editing technology
Han Chunyu looks nothing like the stereotypical professor. Dressed in a gray zip-up sweatshirt and navy track pants, the 42-year-old’s casual crew cut and sports watch make him look like he’s headed to the gym, not the laboratory. “Nobody would think that I, an associate professor at [relatively unknown] Hebei University of Science and Technology… could publish a paper on a top-level academic platform” and skyrocket to fame overnight, Han selfdeprecatingly told NewsChina.
Outside his lab, a number of journalists are waiting their turn to interview him about his recent achievement – he and his team created a new gene-editing technology called NgAgo-gDNA, which they presented as an alternative to the widely used CRISPR-Cas9 system.
“If the gene-editing technology that existed before this were a grocery store, then it’s as if we discovered a new grocery store, giving people more options,” Han explained.
“Whether this grocery store is any good or not has yet to be seen – scientists from all over the world will have to test it out first.
And of course, I will scrutinize it further as well.”
World-famous
Han and his team’s paper, “DNA-guided genome editing using the Natronobacterium gregoryi Argonaute,” was published online on May 2, nearly a year after they had originally submitted it to the reputable journal Nature Biotechnology. Within a few hours, academic colleagues were calling to congratulate him, and news of his paper spread online.
Han’s quiet laboratory life began to change.
Academics from all over the world, including the US, Sweden, France and South Korea, started inundating his inbox with hundreds of emails. They inquired about his research and potential cooperation, with some even interested in hiring him. Domestically, some top-level academicians sought out opportunities for cooperation. Other scientists asked to take a look at his experiment data, which Han shared freely.
Although this flood of activity was out of the ordinary for Han, it was not outside his expectations.
By the time that Han began to search for a new gene-editing system in 2014, other scientists had already started to question whether or not proteins of the Ago family (which Han ended up using) could be used in genome editing. Han knew that if he were successful in an Ago-related discovery, it would pique the interest of many other academics.
But his path to the success of NgAgogDNA was lined with gene-editing failures.
After CRISPR-Cas 9 came on the scene, Han and his team used it to modify certain plants. However, just as he was preparing to publish his results after years of research and experimentation, other scientists printed similar findings in an international journal, beating him to the punch. Han was forced to change direction. For his next endeavor, he and his team tried to make improvements to the existing technology. Once again, another team was faster on the draw and published first. After these two failures, Han realized he could not outpace other researchers. Instead of trying to beat other scientists to the same finish line, he decided to run on an entirely different track. Thus, in early 2014, he and his team commenced researching a new geneediting technology that could give CRISPR a run for its money.
The NgAgo-gDNA system was the result of their renewed efforts. Han was pleased (and not that surprised) that his new technology brought him recognition from fellow researchers, but the attention from non-scientists caught him off guard. “I never expected to gain such a following online outside of academic circles,” Han said, admitting that the rush of interview invitations also took him by surprise.
Now Han has become something of a campus celebrity at his Hebei university.Everyone from faculty and students to custodians and groundskeepers know of his accomplishment.“Will he win a Nobel Prize?If so, he is a real hero!” one security guard told our reporter.
Humble Background
Unlike many of his most successful scientific peers, Han never studied abroad. After earning undergraduate and master’s degrees, he obtained his doctorate at Peking Union Medical College in 2003. Without his time at Peking Union, he “would never have become a scientist,” Han said. He met mentors during this period and learned how to take full advantage of available scientific literature.
“I found that to learn from the best you don’t need to be at their side – studying their scholarly works is enough,” Han told our reporter.
Han started to work at Hebei University of Science and Technology in 2006. He first secured funding from the university and other institutions, then began researching geneediting technology. “Choosing this research topic might have been somewhat a matter of happenstance, but the results that I attained were inevitable,” Han told our reporter. “Actually, I am not as hardworking as most of the other young scientists that I know; my strength is that I like to think. I contemplate things thoroughly and meticulously before I do them.” Before this May publication, Han had only published two research papers in Chinese journals in the 10 years he’d worked at his university. The university leaders allowed him to concentrate on research and didn’t push him. As a result, despite fielding offers from other research institutions due to his newfound fame, Han said he wants to stay where he is. “This is my MIT,” he said. His lab might not be up to the same standards as those of other universities worldwide, but it’s enough for him.
“To me, walking around in a pair of Adidas or Nike shoes is the same as walking around in generic ones,” Han said. “I happen to wear generic ones.” Han leads a modest life. He and his family of three live in a 625-square-foot apartment on campus grounds, and Han finds his fiveminute bike commute and simple lifestyle very satisfying – they allow him to spend more time in the lab.
“My dream is to explore the unknown world,” Han said. “But I am not courageous enough to venture out into nature directly, so I choose to explore the unknown through science.”
High Standards
When Han teaches biology to college seniors, he prefers to lecture in a casual and conversational way. He wants his students to understand great scientists’ ways of thinking and not be stuck inside a textbook.
Although his students tend to appreciate his humor and talent, few follow him to his postgraduate courses because they all know that Han has very strict requirements for the students he mentors. Motivation is important.
Han said his students must have a true passion for science; if not, he’s not interested.
Each year, Han Chunyu recruits five or six master’s students, but usually only one or two manage to work with him on experiments after completing their degrees. Jiang Feng, a student of Han’s and a coauthor of his recent publication, told our reporter that, apart from eating and sleeping, he spends nearly the entire day in the lab. Han visits him two or three times a day to give guidance or instruction. Jiang graduated this summer, but he is neither perplexed nor worried about his future. “All I want is to learn as much as possible from my teacher, and complete the work at hand,” Jiang said.
Gao Feng, another of the paper’s coauthors, is also sure of his future in science. Gao graduated in 2014. Rather than seeking other job opportunities, Gao chose to stay in Han’s lab and continue their research. The teacher and former student often drink tea together and chat like old friends. “We sometimes feel like roommates in a college dorm,” Gao said.
Han appreciates his students’ passion. “In your heart, you need to have belief,” he said.
“Even if our paper were never published, and my research never gained world recognition, I would still believe firmly that I am indeed a real scientist.”
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