Hang Yin

Hang Hubert Yin (born 5 July 1976) is a chemistry professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado at Boulder, a recipient of several young scientist awards for his research in chemical biology  and drug discovery.

Career
Hang Hubert Yin was a pupil at the High School of Peking University. After studying for a bachelor’s degree at the Peking University, he received his PhD from Yale University, New Haven in 2004 (supervisor: Professor Andrew D. Hamilton FRS) and then spent a post-doctoral period at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine under the supervision of Professor William DeGrado. In 2007, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is a member of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, the BioFrontiers Institute, and the Center of Neuroscience at the University of Colorado. His research interests lie at the interface of chemistry, biology, and engineering with particular focuses on structure-based drug design, cell signaling biochemistry, biotechnology development, and membrane protein simulations.

Awards

 * CAPA Distinguished Junior Faculty Award (2012)
 * Stand Up to Cancer Innovative Research Grant Award (2010)
 * National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2010)
 * American Association for Cancer Research Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award (2009)
 * University of Colorado New Inventor of the Year (2009)
 * National Institute on Drug Abuse ECHEM Award (2009)
 * National Institute on Drug Abuse CEBRA Award (2009)
 * Sidney Kimmel Scholars Award (2008)
 * Howard Hughes Medical Institute Collaborative Innovation Award (2008)

Significant contributions
Yin's team showed that morphine causes inflammation by binding to the protein lymphocyte antigen 96, which, in turn, causes the protein to bind to an immune system receptor called Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). The morphine-induced TLR4 activation attenuates pain suppression by opioid and enhances the development of opioid tolerance and addiction, drug abuse, and other negative side effects such as respiratory depression. The Yin group has developed drug candidates that can improve opioid-based pain management therapies.