Self-introduction

Dr. Sicong He received his B. Eng. in Optical Engineering at Zhejiang University in 2012, and his Ph.D. in Electronic and Computer Engineering at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2017. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2017-2020. He is currently a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in School of Life Sciences at Southern University of Science and Technology. His research interests include development of novel optical imaging techniques and their biological applications. He has published over 20 papers in high-impact international scientific journals, including Elife, Light: Science & Applications, Science Advances, Developmental Cell, etc.

Research Interests：

◆Adaptive-optics multiphoton fluorescence microscopy for high spatial-temporal resolution imaging

◆ High resolution infrared laser-mediated gene induction microscopy for in vivo single-cell labeling and lineage tracing

◆ Multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy integrating multiphoton fluorescence imaging, second/third harmonic generation, and stimulated Raman scattering

Professional Experience：

◆ 2020-present Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology

◆ 2017-2020 Postdoctoral Fellow, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Educational Background：

◆ 2012-2017 Ph.D., Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

◆ 2008-2012 B.E., Optical Engineering, Zhejiang University

Honors & Awards：

◆ 2012-2017 Postgraduate Scholarship of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

◆ 2012 Top 100 Undergraduate Thesis Prize of Zhejiang University

Selected Publication：

1. Xiangzhang Cheng#, Bo Wang#, Li Luo, Zhaowei Sun, and Sicong He*, "Physics-informed multi-encoder adaptive optics enables rapid aberration correction for intravital microscopy of deep complex tissue." Nature Communications 17, 6651 (2026).

2. Lianming Yang, Weixin Luo, Tingting Huang, Shuo Wang, Zhiran Cao, Dong Jiang, Lei Pang, Jian-Xiang Liu, Sicong He, Ruixi Li*, "The ARLA1A-NAC089 module coordinates ER-phagy with the unfolded protein response to maintain cellular homeostasis in plants." Developmental Cell 61.9 (2026): 1806-1821.

3. Hanbing Xue#, Xingwen Hu#, Zhenni Yang#, Yiqing Cao, Qi Zhu, Hongyu Zhao, Xiaoli Ma, Tianxin Lei, Dian Zhuang, Jing Zheng, Siqi Guo, Xiaochuan Fu, Ka Kit Chung, Pingsheng Liu, Xiaohong Zhuang, Zhengyu Liang, Sicong He, Hui Jiang, Yan G. Zhao*. "PISD acts as a switch between lipophagy and fatty acid transfer to mitochondria." Journal of Cell Biology 225, no. 9 (2026): e202605090

4. Panzhu Bai#, Chengmin Liu#, Changying Fu#, Renwei Cai, Yanyan Ding, Meiling Quan, Yuhao Ye, Ziyang Zhang, Yuan Li, Yanfen Xu, Siqi Guo, Binbin Li, Guizhen Li, Wudi Yu, Dalu Wang, Ming Jiang, Yi Deng, Sicong He, Chuanyue Wu, Ruijun Tian*, and Ying Sun*, "Targeting Prolyl 3-hydroxylase 1 inhibits pancreatic cancer progression and macrophage immunity." Nature Communications 17.1 (2026): 3913

5. Yiming Fu#, Pham Binh Minh#, Sicong He, Yingzhu He, Zhongya Qin, Ting Xie*, and Jianan Y. Qu*. "Dynamic Retinal Pathology in Glaucoma Progression Revealed by High‐Resolution Functional Imaging in Vivo." Laser & Photonics Reviews (2025): e01801.

6. Yimei Dai#, Yunyun Jiang#, Canran Cao, Yongtai Xu, Siting Lai, Wenchao Zhu, Meng Gao, Feifei Li*, Sicong He*, and Jin Xu*. "Scavenger endothelial cells alleviate tissue damage by engulfing toxic molecules derived from hemolysis." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122, no. 7 (2025): e2406794122

7. Wanjie Wu#, Yingzhu He#, Yujun Chen#, Yiming Fu, Sicong He, Kai Liu*, and Jianan Y. Qu*, "In vivo imaging in mouse spinal cord reveals that microglia prevent degeneration of injured axons." Nature Communications 15, no. 1 (2024): 8837

8. Xuanyan Jia#, Leishu Lin#, Siqi Guo, Lulu Zhou, Gaowei Jin, Jiayuan Dong, Jinman Xiao, Xingqiao Xie, Yiming Li, Sicong He, Zhiyi Wei*, Cong Yu*, "CLASP-mediated competitive binding in protein condensates directs microtubule growth." Nature Communications 15, no. 1 (2024): 6509

9. Zhujuan Huang, Yongtai Xu, Zhongkai Qiu, Yunyun Jiang, Jiaye Wu, Qing Lin, Sicong He, Jianan Y. Qu, Jiahao Chen*, and Jin Xu*, "Caudal hematopoietic tissue supports definitive erythrocytes via epoa and is dispensable for definitive neutrophils." Journal of Genetics and Genomics, 51, no. 6 (2024): 669-672

10. Kaitong Guo#, Jing Zhang#, Pei Huang, Yuqun Xu, Wenfei Pan, Kaiyue Li, Lu Chen, Li Luo, Weichun Yu, Shuai Chen, Sicong He, Zhiyi Wei*, Cong Yu*, "KANK1 shapes focal adhesions by orchestrating protein binding, mechanical force sensing, and phase separation", Cell Reports, 42, no. 11 (2023)

11. Wanjie Wu#, Sicong He#, Yujun Chen, Congping Chen, Yiming Fu, Kai Liu, and Jianan Y. Qu*, "Minimally invasive microglial and neuronal imaging in mouse spinal cord dorsal horn", IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics 29.4: Biophotonics (2022): 1-13

12. Wanjie Wu#, Sicong He#, Junqiang Wu, Congping Chen, Xuesong Li, Kai Liu, and Jianan Y. Qu*, "Long-term in vivo imaging of mouse spinal cord through an optically cleared intervertebral window", Nature Communications, 2022.04.12, 13(1): 1-17

13. Wanjie Wu, Xuesong Li, Jianan Y. Qu, Sicong He*, "In vivo imaging of biological tissues with combined two-photon fluorescence and stimulated Raman scattering microscopy", Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2021.12.20, 178, e63411

14. Congping Chen, Zhongya Qin, Sicong He, Shaojun Liu, Shun-Fat Lau, Wanjie Wu, Dan Zhu, Nancy Y. Ip and Jianan Y. Qu*, "High-resolution two-photon transcranial imaging of brain using direct wavefront sensing", Photonics Research, Vol. 9, Issue 6, pp. 1144-1156 (2021)

15. Zhongya Qin, Congping Chen, Sicong He, Ye Wang, Kam Fai Tam, Nancy Y. Ip* and Jianan Y. Qu*, "Adaptive optics two-photon endomicroscopy enables deep brain imaging at synaptic resolution over large volumes", Science Advances, 30 Sep 2020: Vol. 6, no. 40, eabc6521 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc6521

16. Qixin Wei, Sicong He, Jianan Y. Quand Jiang Xia*, "Synthetic multienzyme complexes assembled on virus-like particles for cascade biosynthesis in cellulo", Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2020, 31, 10, 2413–2420

17. Sicong He, JinXu, Jianan  Qu* and Zilong Wen*, "Lightening the way of hematopoiesis: infrared laser-mediated lineage tracing with high spatial-temporal resolution", Experimental hematology, V.85, P.3-7 (2020) 

18. Miao Liu, Sicong He, Lixin Cheng, Jianan Qu and Jiang Xia*, "Phase-separated multienzyme biosynthesis", Biomacromolecules, V.21, P.2391-2399 (2020)

19. Zhongya Qin#, Sicong He#, Chao Yang, Jasmine Sum-Yee Yung, Congping Chen, Christopher Kai-Shun Leung, Kai Liu and Jianan Y. Qu*, "Adaptive optics two-photon microscopy enables near-diffraction-limited and functional retinal imaging in vivo", Light: Science & Applications, (2020)9:79, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-020-0317-9

20. Sicong He, Ye Tian, Shachuan Feng, Yi Wu, Xinwei Shen, Kani Chen, Yingzhu He, Qiqi Sun, Xuesong Li, Jin Xu*, Zilong Wen* andJianan Y. Qu*, "In vivo single-cell lineage tracing in zebrafish using high-resolution infrared laser-mediated gene induction microscopy", eLife 2020;9:e52024, DOI: 10.7554/eLife.52024

21. Sicong He, Xiuqing Wei, Zhongya Qin, Congping Chen, Zhenguo Wu* and Jianan Y. Qu*, "In vivostudy of metabolic dynamics and heterogeneity in brown and beige fat by label-free multiphoton redox and fluorescence lifetime microscopy", Journal of Biophotonics, e201960057 (2019) 

22. Wei Kang, Tian Ma, Min Liu, Jiale Qu, Zhenjun Liu, Huawei Zhang, Bin Shi, Shuai Fu, Juncai Ma, Louis Tung Faat Lai, Sicong He, Jianan Qu, Shannon Wing-Ngor Au, Byung Ho Kang, Wilsn Chun Yu Lau, Zixin Deng, Jiang Xia*, Tiangang Liu*,"Modular enzyme assembly for enhanced cascade biocatalysis and metabolic flux." Nature communications,  10, No. 1, 1-11 (2019)

23. Xuesong Li, Yan Li, Meijuan Jiang, Wanjie Wu, Sicong He, Congping Chen, Zhongya Qin, Ben Zhong Tang, Ho Yi Mak*, Jianan Y Qu*, "Quantitative Imaging of Lipid Synthesis and Lipolysis Dynamics in Caenorhabditis elegans by Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy",Analytical Chemistry, 91(3), 2279-2287 (2019) 

24. ZhongyaQin, Qiqi Sun, Yue Lin, Sicong He, Xuesong Li, Congping Chen, Wanjie Wu, Yi Luo and Jianan Y. Qu*, "New fluorescent compounds produced by femtosecond laser surgery in biological tissues: the mechanisms", Biomedical Optics Express, Vol. 9, No. 7, 3373-90 (2018) 

25. Sicong He, Jiahao Chen, Yunyun Jiang, Yi Wu, Lu Zhu, Wan Jin, Changlong Zhao, Tao Yu, Tienan Wang,Shuting Wu, Jianan Qu, Zilong Wen, Wenqing Zhang and Jin Xu*, "Adult zebrafish Langerhans cells arise from hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells", eLife, 7, e36131 (2018) 

26. Sicong He, Yitai An, Xuesong Li, Xiuqing Wei, Qiqi Sun, Zhenguo Wu*, and Jianan Y. Qu*, "In vivometabolic imaging and monitoring of brown and beige fat." Journal of Biophotonics, e201800019 (2018)

27. Qiqi Sun, Zhongya Qin, Wanjie Wu, Yue Lin, Congping Chen, Sicong He, Xuesong Li, Zhenguo Wu, Yi Luo and Jianan Y. Qu*, "In vivoimaging-guided microsurgery based on femtosecond laser produced new fluorescent compounds in biological tissues", Biomedical Optics Express, Vol. 9, No. 2, 581-90 (2018) 

28. Ye Tian, Jin Xu, Shachuan Feng, Sicong He, Shizheng Zhao, Lu Zhu, Wan Jin, Yimei Dai, Lingfei Luo, Jianan Y Qu, Zilong Wen*, "The first wave of T lymphopoiesis in zebrafish arises from aorta endothelium independent of hematopoietic stem cells", Journal of Experimental Medicine, jem-20170488 (2017)

29. Sicong He, Wenqian Xue, Zhigang Duan, Qiqi Sun, Xuesong Li, Huiyan Gan, Jiandong Huang* and Jianan Y. Qu*, "Multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy reveals critical role of kinesin-1 in cartilage development", Biomedical Optics Express, Vol. 8, 1771-1782 (2017)

30. Tingzhong Li, Sicong He, Jianan Qu, Hao Wu, Shuizhu Wu, Zujin Zhao, Anjun Qin, Rongrong Hu*, Ben Zhong Tang*, "Thermoresponsive AIE polymers with fine-tuned response temperature", Journal of Materials Chemistry C, V. 4, 2964-2970 (2016)

31. Jin Xu, Lu Zhu, Sicong He, Yi Wu, Wan Jin, Tao Yu, Jianan Y. Qu* and Zilong Wen*, "Temporal-spatial resolution fate mapping reveals distinct origins for embryonic and adult microglia in zebrafish", Developmental Cell, V. 34, 632-641 (2015)

32. Xuesong Li, Wen Jiun Lam, Zhe Cao, Yan Hao, Qiqi Sun, Sicong He, Ho Yi Mak* and Jianan Y. Qu*, "Integrated femtosecond stimulated Raman scattering and two-photon fluorescence imaging of subcellular lipid and vesicular structures", Journal of Biomedical Optics, V. 20, 110501 (2015)

33. Sicong He, Cong Ye, Qiqi Sun, Christopher K.S. Leung* and Jianan Y. Qu*, "Label-free nonlinear optical imaging of mouse retina", Biomedical Optics Express, Vol.6, No.1 (2015) 

34. Yan Zeng, Bo Yan, Jin Xu, Qiqi Sun, Sicong He, Jun Jiang, Zilong Wen* and Jianan Y. Qu*, "In vivononlinear optical imaging of immune responses: tissue injury and infection", Biophysical Journal, V.107, Issue of Nov. 18 (2014) 

35. Yan Zeng, Bo Yan, Qiqi Sun, Sicong He, Jun Jiang, Zilong Wen* and Jianan Y. Qu*, "In vivo micro-vascular imaging and flow cytometry in zebrafish using two-photon excited endogenous fluorescence", Biomedical Optics Express, V.5, 653-663 (2014)

36. Qiqi Sun, Yanfeng Li, Sicong He, Chenghao Situ, Zhenguo Wu* and Jianan Y. Qu*, “Label-free multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy reveals fundamental insights of skeletal muscle development”, Biomedical Optics Express, V.5, 158-166 (2014)