Tian Jin, B.S., Ph.D.

The research in the Chemotaxis Signal Section is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying chemotaxis of eukaryotes. Our research strategy to define the signaling network controlling chemotaxis relies on the use of the genetically amendable model organism Dictyostelium discoideum. We are developing cutting-edge live cell imaging technologies that visualize signaling events in live cells in real time, constructing computational models to comprehend the signaling network as a system, and discovering novel mechanisms involving G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated cell migration. Our long term goal is to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying chemokine GPCR-mediated migration of immune cells and cancer cells.

Dr. Jin received his B.S. in biology from the Peking University, China, in 1984 and his Ph.D. from the department of biochemistry at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers-UMDNJ in 1994. From 1994 to 2000, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the department of biological chemistry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Jin was appointed instructor in the department of cell biology and anatomy at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2001. In July 2001, he joined the Laboratory of Immunogenetics as a tenure-track investigator. In 2009, he became senior investigator at NIAID.