Dr. Tian came to the states in 1994 to pursue a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. Hard-core biochemistry, hours to days in the cold room to purify proteins. After Ph.D, he switched field to work with animal models closer to human. I spent five year embarking on an essential developmental pathway (Hedgehog) in mouse at Harvard University. Then he moved to Genentech to apply he knowledge in the mouse to clinical drug development. He played a pivotal role in developing Hedgehog pathway inhibitor in the treatment of skin cancer and brain tumor. His current role in the lab is to investigate muscle stem cell self-renewal and activation, in the context of aging, injury and denervation