Jing-Ke Weng, Ph.D.

Research

My lab focuses on plant metabolism, exploring its evolution, organization, and biological functions. We investigate how plants developed diverse metabolic traits to adapt to terrestrial environments, producing specialized molecules for chemical defense and interspecies communication. We examine the subcellular to interspecies organization of metabolic systems, study the functions of specific plant metabolites in their native hosts and potential medical applications, and explore synthetic biology approaches for sustainable production of valuable plant-derived compounds. Our work spans plant biology, biochemistry, evolutionary biology, and biomedical research, aiming to uncover new insights into plant adaptation, metabolic evolution, and potential therapeutic applications of plant-derived molecules.

As an Innovation Fund investigator, Jing-Ke Weng, Ph.D., is teaming up with Seth Rakoff-Nahoum, M.D., Ph.D., to redefine the intricate relationship between food and health. The fundamental nature of food and how it impacts human health remains a mystery. The current concept of food—comprised of nutrition facts—is insufficient to illuminate these connections. The project draws on Rakoff-Nahoum’s research into dietary component fate and the factors that influence food processing and on Weng’s expertise in plant metabolomics, as well as the pair’s use of small molecules to interact with the environment and human body. Together, they will use isotopic labeling to precisely trace food molecules’ pathways, modifications, and host interactions. The researchers will also explore the immune response to food proteins and what differentiates allergenic from nonallergenic proteins. Findings from this project could expand the understanding of food beyond nutritional values to encompass food-host interactions, offering new insights into disease prevention and treatment, and fundamentally transforming the approach to global health.