Yichen Hou, PhD, graduated in Spring 2024 from the Genetics, Genomics, and Systems Biology (GGSB) program and was awarded the Best Thesis of 2025 by the GGSB Committee for her exceptional dissertation, Transfer RNA Cellular Dynamics and Engineering for Therapeutic Applications. Mentored by Dr. Tao Pan, Yichen's research redefined long-standing assumptions about transfer RNA (tRNA) biology, uncovering the dynamic structurome and interactome of human cytosolic and mitochondrial tRNAs in vivo.
Published in Nature Communications, her work was the first to comprehensively demonstrate that tRNAs, once thought to adopt rigid, uniform structures, are in fact structurally diverse and highly dynamic in living cells—interacting with a wide array of proteins and contributing to key cellular processes including metabolism, stress responses, and disease pathways. These findings open new possibilities for understanding and manipulating tRNAs in therapeutic contexts.
Beyond the lab, Yichen was known for her collaborative spirit and mentorship within the Pan Lab and the broader GGSB community. She now brings her analytical expertise and scientific insight to Bain & Company, where she works as a consultant.