Biography

Shixue Sun, Ph.D., M.S., is an Intramural Research Training Award postdoctoral fellow in the Informatics Core within NCATS’ Division of Preclinical Innovation. As a member of a rare disease translational research team led by Qian Zhu, Ph.D. Sun uses informatics technology to combine different data types in hopes of finding new ways to diagnose and treat rare diseases.

Before joining NCATS in 2023, Sun was a lead safety data specialist, trainer and subject matter expert at Merck Research Laboratories. While at Merck, he became proficient in clinical safety data.

Sun earned his doctorate in biomedical science from the University of Macau. He combined biology and data science to study post-transcriptional regulations in pulmonary fibrosis without a known cause. Sun also holds a Bachelor of Science in pharmaceutical preparation and a Master of Science in pharmacology from China Pharmaceutical University. During his master’s degree studies, Sun conducted preclinical experiments to assess the toxicity and pharmacological properties of a new compound that was then approved as a new medicine in China.

Research Topics

Sun’s research focuses on turning basic science findings into potential treatments for rare diseases. His work includes repurposing drugs for new applications, identifying biomarkers and developing predictive computer models. He is also working to integrate clinical and genomics data that could help identify new treatments for rare disease patients.