Shanghai Institute of Material Medical Chinese Academy of Sciences

Biography

Pei Hao is a researcher, group leader, and doctoral supervisor. She has achieved significant results in mRNA drug design, viral molecular evolution, and pathogenic mechanism research, publishing over 100 SCI papers. She was the first to establish an intelligent mRNA design platform and developed polyvalent mRNA vaccines to combat monkeypox virus. Additionally, she created a recognition model for RNA methylation modifications using deep learning techniques. Her research on influenza and SARS-CoV-2 has revealed the transmission mechanisms and pathogenicity of these viruses. Dr. Hao has received multiple honors, including the Lu Jiaxi Youth Talent Award from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National March 8th Red Banner Holder award, and she enjoys special government allowances from the State Council.

Education

1999.09 - 2005.07 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Neuroimmunology

Research Directions

1.AI-based design of mRNA vaccines that combines RNA translation dynamics to optimize mRNA sequence design, enhancing the immune efficacy of vaccines and the efficiency of protein expression.

2.Focusing on the molecular evolution and pathogenic mechanisms of epidemic viruses, particularly in the context of public health emergencies such as COVID-19 and monkeypox, providing scientific evidence for virus prevention and control.

3.Utilizing deep learning techniques to construct models for RNA methylation and editing recognition, studying changes in host epigenetics during pathogen infections, and exploring their impact on virus infection and transmission.

Grants & Research Projects

Achievements

1.mRNA Drug Design Platform: Launched the first publicly accessible mRNA drug design platform that comprehensively considers codon preference, GC content, and secondary structure in mRNA sequences to optimize the design of structural regions (5'UTR, CDS, 3'UTR) for improved protein translation and expression. Related findings were published in Nucleic Acids Research.

2.Polyvalent mRNA Vaccine Research: In response to the monkeypox virus outbreak, Dr. Hao was the first to complete the design and development of a polyvalent mRNA vaccine, revealing its enhanced protective mechanisms and laying the technical foundation for the development of efficient and safe mRNA vaccines. The results were published in Science China Life Sciences.

3.RNA Methylation Recognition Model: Utilized deep learning methods to establish the world's first neural network recognition model for RNA methylation modifications, releasing the related tool DENA, which promotes research in RNA biology.

4.CRISPR-Cas13 RNA Editor: Developed an RNA base-editing tool based on CRISPR-Cas13 technology, with related findings published in Nucleic Acids Research, advancing the development of gene editing technologies.

5.SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Mechanism Research: In the study of SARS-CoV-2, Dr. Hao revealed the human-to-human transmission mechanisms and pathogenicity of the virus for the first time, with related findings published in Science China Life Sciences, providing important scientific evidence for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

morefold

Social Titles

morefold

Awards & Honors

morefold

Pubilcations

Selected Publications

1.Mo O, Zhang Z, Cheng X, Zhu L, Zhang K, Zhang N, Li J, Li H, Fan S, Li X*, Hao P*. mRNAdesigner: an integrated web server for optimizing mRNA design and protein translation in eukaryotes. Nucleic Acids Res. 2025 May 19:gkaf410.

2.Xu X, Li R, Mo O, Liu K, Li J, Hao P*. Cell-type deconvolution for bulk RNA-seq data using single-cell reference: a comparative analysis and recommendation guideline. Brief Bioinform. 2024 Nov 22;26(1):bbaf031.

3.Zhang N, Cheng X, Zhu Y, Mo O, Yu H, Zhu L, Zhang J, Kuang L, Gao Y, Cao R, Liang X, Wang H, Li H, Li S, Zhong W*, Li X*, Li X*, Hao P*. Multi-valent mRNA vaccines against monkeypox enveloped or mature viron surface antigens demonstrate robust immune response and neutralizing activity. Sci China Life Sci. 2023 Oct;66(10):2329-2341.

4.Chen L, Ou L, Jing X, Kong Y, Xie B, Zhang N, Shi H, Qin H, Li X*, Hao P*. DeepEdit: single-molecule detection and phasing of A-to-I RNA editing events using nanopore direct RNA sequencing. Genome Biol. 2023 Apr 17;24(1):75.

5.Xu X, Chen P, Wang J, Feng J, Zhou H, Li X*, Zhong W*, Hao P*. Evolution of the novel coronavirus from the ongoing Wuhan outbreak and modeling of its spike protein for risk of human transmission. Sci China Life Sci. 2020 Mar;63(3):457-460.

Full Publication List

1.Mo O, Zhang Z, Cheng X, Zhu L, Zhang K, Zhang N, Li J, Li H, Fan S, Li X*, Hao P*. mRNAdesigner: an integrated web server for optimizing mRNA design and protein translation in eukaryotes. Nucleic Acids Res. 2025 May 19:gkaf410.

2.Xu X, Li R, Mo O, Liu K, Li J, Hao P*. Cell-type deconvolution for bulk RNA-seq data using single-cell reference: a comparative analysis and recommendation guideline. Brief Bioinform. 2024 Nov 22;26(1):bbaf031.

3.Zhang N, Cheng X, Zhu Y, Mo O, Yu H, Zhu L, Zhang J, Kuang L, Gao Y, Cao R, Liang X, Wang H, Li H, Li S, Zhong W*, Li X*, Li X*, Hao P*. Multi-valent mRNA vaccines against monkeypox enveloped or mature viron surface antigens demonstrate robust immune response and neutralizing activity. Sci China Life Sci. 2023 Oct;66(10):2329-2341.

4.Chen L, Ou L, Jing X, Kong Y, Xie B, Zhang N, Shi H, Qin H, Li X*, Hao P*. DeepEdit: single-molecule detection and phasing of A-to-I RNA editing events using nanopore direct RNA sequencing. Genome Biol. 2023 Apr 17;24(1):75.

5.Qin H, Ou L, Gao J, Chen L, Wang JW, Hao P*, Li X*. DENA: training an authentic neural network model using Nanopore sequencing data of Arabidopsis transcripts for detection and quantification of N 6-methyladenosine on RNA. Genome Biol. 2022 Jan 17;23(1):25.

6.Chen P, Chen M, Chen Y, Jing X, Zhang N, Zhou X, Li X*, Long G*, Hao P*. Targeted inhibition of Zika virus infection in human cells by CRISPR-Cas13b. Virus Res. 2022 Apr 15;312:198707. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2022.198707.

7.Cao Y, Xu X, Kitanovski S, Song L, Wang J, Hao P*, Hoffmann D*. Comprehensive Comparison of RNA-Seq Data of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV Infections: Alternative Entry Routes and Innate Immune Responses. Front Immunol. 2021 May 28;12:656433.

8.Zechuan Chen, Zeruo Yang, Xiaojun Yuan, Xiaoming Zhang, Pei Hao* . scSensitiveGeneDefine: sensitive gene detection in single-cell RNA sequencing data by Shannon entropy. BMC Bioinformatics. 2021 Apr 22;22(1):211.

9.Zhang N, Jing X, Liu Y, Chen M, Zhu X, Jiang J, Wang H, Li X*, Hao P*. Interfering with retrotransposition by two types of CRISPR effectors: Cas12a and Cas13a. Cell Discov. 2020 May 19;6:30. doi: 10.1038/s41421-020-0164-0.

10.Xu X, Chen P, Wang J, Feng J, Zhou H, Li X*, Zhong W*, Hao P*. Evolution of the novel coronavirus from the ongoing Wuhan outbreak and modeling of its spike protein for risk of human transmission. Sci China Life Sci. 2020 Mar;63(3):457-460.

morefold