UChicago’s Chuan He Recognized for Real-World Impact of Research

University of Chicago researcher Chuan He has been recognized for the potential real-world impact of his work – including a method to dramatically increase crop yields and an innovative liquid biopsy test that can detect early-stage cancer.

He, John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology, and an expert in the field of RNA modification biology and cancer epigenetics, has been named to the National Academy of Inventors Senior Members Class of 2026.

The program recognizes active faculty, scientists, and administrators at NAI Member Institutions who have successfully produced, patented, and commercialized technologies “that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society and economic progress.”

“As someone who practices basic science discovery, it has been extremely rewarding to see our findings often lead to new technologies and new targets that can impact medicine and potentially agriculture,” said He. “At the end of the day, our scientific mission is not only to generate new knowledge but also, hopefully, to make a real-world impact. I’m glad we have colleagues at the Polsky Center who work closely with us on the translational mission.”

Among this work, He has figured out how to manipulate RNA in plants in order to yield dramatically more crops and increase drought tolerance. In initial tests, yields increased by 50%. The plants also increased their rate of photosynthesis. The method worked in “almost every type of plant” and is a “very simple modification to make,” He explained.

This work revealed that RNA modification levels reflect an organism’s state – a pattern He and his team also observed in colorectal cancer samples. In the study, the researchers analyzed RNA modification levels in human cells and gut microbes, and found that RNA released by the microbes differed substantially between cancer patients and healthy individuals. Measuring these modifications to microbial RNA meant that they could gain earlier insight into potential cancerous activity.

Current commercial tests that measure DNA or RNA abundance in the stool are about 90% accurate for later-stage cancer, but their accuracy drops below 50% for early stages. The new RNA modification-based test, which He is commercializing with the Polsky Center, was almost 95% accurate overall, including early stages.

Go “Inside the Lab”:

Technologies available for licensing:

• Viral RNA Modification Technique for Creating Attenuated Live Vaccines for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Other NNS RNA Viruses
• M6A-SAC-SEQ: A Method for Assaying M6A Epigenetic Modifications Using NGS
• Low-Input Methylation Sequencing for Profiling Epitranscriptomic Signatures and Early Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis
• RNA-Guided Control of Protein Secretion and Membrane Protein Expression
• RNA Methylation Depletion to Induce Transcriptional Repression for Effective Leukemia Treatment
• Adenosine Deamination Sequencing to Map Methylated Adenosine at Single-Nucleoside Resolution

Read more:

• RNA breakthrough creates crops that can grow 50% more potatoes, rice
• Big Brains podcast: How a Genetic Breakthrough Could Address Global Hunger, with Chuan He
• UChicago scientists uncover clues to mysterious but crucial genetic process
• RNA’s “joints” play key role in our gene expression, UChicago scientists find
• Innovative liquid biopsy test uses RNA to detect early-stage cancer