Shang Ma, Ph.D.

Shang Ma, Ph.D., received his bachelor’s degree from University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, with a major in genetics. He earned his Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he focused on chemical signaling pathways that mediate mammalian brain development. In 2015, Dr. Ma joined Dr. Ardem Patapoutian’s group at Scripps Research to study how cells sense mechanical forces during pathogenesis. During this postdoc training, he discovered that overactive PIEZO mechanosensitive ion channels play important roles in various human disorders.

In 2022, Dr. Ma joined the faculty of Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern as an Assistant Professor. He holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Pediatrics.

The Ma lab uses an interdisciplinary approach to understand how cells sense and process mechanical stimuli in health and disease. They hope to identify novel “mechanosensing” pathways as promising drug targets for different diseases.

Visit the Ma Labratory

Undergraduate

University of British Columbia (2007), Science

Graduate School

Uni of Wisconsin-Madison (2015), Philosophy

• Hematology
• Immune cells
• Ion channel function

Featured Publications

A role of PIEZO1 in iron metabolism in mice and humans.

Ma S, Dubin AE, Zhang Y, Mousavi SAR, Wang Y, Coombs AM, Loud M, Andolfo I, Patapoutian A, Cell 2021 Feb 184 4 969-982.e13

Common PIEZO1 Allele in African Populations Causes RBC Dehydration and Attenuates Plasmodium Infection.

Ma S, Cahalan S, LaMonte G, Grubaugh ND, Zeng W, Murthy SE, Paytas E, Gamini R, Lukacs V, Whitwam T, Loud M, Lohia R, Berry L, Khan SM, Janse CJ, Bandell M, Schmedt C, Wengelnik K, Su AI, Honore E, Winzeler EA, Andersen KG, Patapoutian A Cell 2018 Mar