Dr. Sichun Yang is an Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He received his PhD in Biophysics at the University of California, San Diego, and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago.
His laboratory combines advanced biophysical techniques, particularly small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, with molecular computations to investigate complex biological systems.
His pioneering research revealed critical "molecular switches" that control estrogen receptor signaling, with particular relevance to breast cancer, where 70% of tumors are estrogen receptor-positive.
Recently published in Nature and featured in CWRU's "The Daily," his work on protein regulation advances fundamental science and cancer therapeutics.
My research is in estrogen receptor biophysics, cancer biology, and drug discovery.
Teaching Information
Courses Taught
Office Hours
By appointment
Research Information
Research Interests
- Multifaceted integration for estrogen receptor
- Biophysics of estrogen receptor disorder
- Targeted disruption of estrogen receptor activation
- Drugging the undrugged for advanced ER-positive breast cancer
Research Projects
- Phospho-ER structure and function
- Intrinsic ER disorder
- Novel ER drug discovery
- Integrative data-driven computational modeling
Recent Funding
- NIH/NIGMS (R01GM114056), 08/01/15-07/31/25; Role: PI
- American Cancer Society, 01/01/24–12/31/25; Role: PI
- Mary Kay Ash Foundation, 07/01/2024–06/30/2026; Role: PI
- NIH/NCI (R01CA256161), 04/01/21–03/31/26; Role: PI of subaward
- Council to Advance Human Health, 10/01/2024–09/30/2025; Role: PI
Awards and Honors
Publications
Selected Publications
- Du Z, Wang H, Luo S, Yun Z, Wu C, Yang W, Buck M, Zheng W, Hansen AL, Kao HK, and Yang S. "The sequence-structure-function relationship of intrinsic ERalpha disorder," Nature, https://www.nature.com/
articles/s41586-024-08400-1 (2025) - Yang S and Bernado P. "Integrative Biophysics: protein interaction and disorder," Journal of Molecular Biology, 432 (9) 2843-2845 (2020)
- Huang W, Peng Y, Kiselar J, Zhao X, Albaqami A, Mendez D, Chen Y-H, Chakravarthy S, Gupta S, Ralston C, Kao H-Y, Chance MR, and Yang S. "Multidomain architecture of estrogen receptor reveals interfacial cross-talk between its DNA-binding and ligand-binding domains," Nature Communications, 9 (1) 3520, (2018)
- Yang S. "Methods for SAXS-based structure determination of biomolecular complexes," Advanced Materials, 26 (46) 7902–7910, (2014)