Dr. Fu-Chyun “Clay” Chu

ISI Vice President

I am the vice president of Invertebrate Studies Institute and working with insect for more than 10 years. I have a PhD in Entomology and Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University (NCSU) on 2017. My expertise are insect molecular and genetic researches including DNA/RNA sequencing and biotechnology applications in insect. I have more than 15 years of experience on insect rearing since I was an undergraduate student in Taiwan. During my PhD study, I am also volunteer in the entomology outreach program in NCSU to educate the young generation knowing how special and interest insects are. This genome project is a combination of my work and interesting. It can not only provide more information about this unique species, but also creating more potential opportunities on medical and chemical researches.

Curriculum Vitae

Highlights

·      4 publications, including 3 first-author

·      13 years of experience with molecular biology and genetic engineering

·      Southern SARE Graduate Student Grant Award, 2014

·      5 invited talks in international conferences

·      20 scientific presentations including national and international conferences

 

Education

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina                           

            PhD in Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

       Minor: Biotechnology program

            Thesis: Developing Transposon Helper Strains for Two Agriculture Pests; Western Corn Rootworm and Spotted Wing Drosophila

Major Advisor: Dr. Marcé Lorenzen & Dr. Fred Gould

Committee Members: Dr. Max Scott & Jim Mahaffey

Graduated: May2017

National Ilan University, Ilan, Taiwan

Bachelors of Science in Animal Science

Senior Thesis: Effect of polymorphism of prolactin receptor (PRLR) and Porcine stress syndrome (PSS) on in vitro maturation and fertilization of pig oocytes and in vitro culture of pig zygotes.

Thesis Advisor: Dr. Ming-Cheng Chen

Graduated: July 2007

Grants & Awards

Southern SARE Graduate Student Grant Award

2014

$11,000

 

 

Experiences

All Things Bugs LLC, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Senior Scientist

Developing, engineering, breeding, and evaluating the nutrient enhanced transgenic mealworm and house cricket strains.

·      Set up a new molecular lab and starter insect colonies with special requirement for the company

·      Design the transgenesis work including: DNA construct design, microinjection and breeding protocols

·      Performed RNA-Seq, genomic sequencing, bioinformatics for both insect species.

·      Published paper and presented research result in conferences

Jul 2018-present

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

Post-doc and Graduate Research Assistant

Engineering, breeding, and evaluating multiple transgenic insect species and developing genetic pest control strategies.

·      Published paper and presented research result in conferences 

·      Developed transgenic insect strains using transposable elements and CRISPR in five species.

·      Performed RNA-Seq, genomic sequencing, genome editing, and RNA interference for functional genomics.

Aug 2011-Sep 2018

National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

Research Assistant

Examined the feeding behaviors of predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis; and larvae competition of two pea weevil species.

  • Developed and analyzed data of feeding test assays for different insect species analysis.
  • Maintained all experimental insect colonies, including five species.

 

Oct 2009-Aug 2010

National Ilan University, Ilan, Taiwan

Undergraduate Student Worker

Provided critical support to senior laboratory personal by conducting cell culturing, tissue fixation, and sample staining.

  • Molecular Biology: genotyping, PCR-RFLP, and primer design.
  • Embryology: In vitro maturation (IVM), in vitro fertilization (IVF) and in vitro culturing (IVC) of pig zygotes.

May 2006-Jul 2007

 

Publications

Oppert, B., Chu, F.C., Reyna, S., Pinzi, S., Adrianos, S., Perkin, L. and Lorenzen, M., 2019. Effects of targeting eye color in Tenebrio molitor through RNA interference of tryptophan 2, 3‐dioxygenase (vermilion): Implications for insect farming. Archives of insect biochemistry and physiology101(1), p.e21546.

Chu, F.C., Klobasa, W., Wu, P., Pinzi, S., Grubbs, N., Gorski, S., Cardoza, Y. and Lorenzen, M.D., 2017. Germline transformation of the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera. Insect molecular biology26(4), pp.440-452.

Chu, F.C., Klobasa, W., Grubbs, N. and Lorenzen, M.D., 2018. Development and use of a piggyBac‐based jumpstarter system in Drosophila suzukii. Archives of insect biochemistry and physiology97(3), p.e21439

Chu, F.C., Wu, P.S., Pinzi, S., Grubbs, N. and Lorenzen, M.D., 2018. Microinjection of Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, Embryos for Germline Transformation, or CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing. JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments), (134), p.e57497.

Manuscripts In Preparation or Review

Dossey, A. T., Chu, F.C., and Opper, B., (In Prep). Sustainable Nutrition and a Tale of 2 Cricket Genome

Chu, F.C., Wu, P.S., Pinzi, S., Grubbs, N., Cohen, A. C., and Lorenzen, M.D., (In Prep). An optimized small-scale rearing system to support embryonic microinjection protocol for western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera

Grubbs, N., Chu, F.C., and Lorenzen, M.D., (In Prep). Window to the Fluorescence: The White Eye-Color Gene of Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera

Areas of Expertise

Molecular Biology

Genetic Engineering

CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing

Software: Microsoft Office, BlastStation, Vector NTI

DNA construction

DNA/RNA Sequencing

RNA interference

PCR, RT-PCR, digital-droplet PCR

Microinjection of Embryos

Insect rearing

Insect dissection

Phenotype screening

Current Research Interests

·                  Genetic engineering in insects using CRISPR/Cas9 system to change phenotype, behavior, or nutrient content.

·                  Insect genome/RNA sequencing and functional genomics.

 

Broader Impacts and Academic Volunteering

 

Invertebrate Studies Institute, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Vice President

·         Manage the insect zoo for the company

·         Helping company developing and decision making

·         Grant proposal writing

Feb 2019-present

 

Entomology Outreach Program, Raleigh, North Carolina

Bug Keeper

·         Rearing exotic insects for outreach program

·         Select and bring in new insect species to program

Aug 2016-Jul 2017

 

Bug Fest, Raleigh, North Carolina

Volunteer in NCSU Entomology booth

·         Showing alive and dead insects.

·         Showing dead transgenic insects and explain the technology

2017 and 2012

 

 

Student voice in NABC, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Student voice attender

·         Discuss the impact of current biotechnology to world

·         Communicate with professors with how young generation think of transgenic technologies.

 

 

 

2014

 

Invited Presentations

Developing Insects for Food, Feed and Bioproduction: White-Eye Marker for CRISPR/Cas9 in Crickets and Mealworms

F. Chu

Plant & Animal Genome Conference XXVIII, San Diego, CA

2020

The ABCs of Using CRISPR in Non-Model Organisms

F. Chu

Plant & Animal Genome Conference XXVIII, San Diego, CA

2020

CRISPR/Cas9 in the mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, toward improvement as a crop

F. Chu

Plant & Animal Genome Conference XXVII, San Diego, CA

2019

Emerging technologies for genetic manipulation of western corn rootworm

F. Chu

26th IWGO Conference, Beijing, China

2017

New Western corn rootworm strains for use in genome-wide mutagenesis

F. Chu,

  M.D. Lorenzen

Corn Academic Summit. St. Charles. MO

2016

Development of transgenic helper/donor Diabrotica virgifera virgifera strains for use in genome-wide mutagenesis

F. Chu,

  M.D. Lorenzen

       Corn Academic    Summit. St. Louis. MO

2015

Targeted piggyBac insertion in a pest genome

F. Chu

    Biolunch. Raleigh, NC

2015

Genetics and genomics of Tribolium Medea elements

F. Chu,

  M.D. Lorenzen

     11th International Working Conference     on Stored Product    Protection. Chiang Mai, Thailand

2014

Development of a germline transformation system for the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera

F. Chu,

S. Gorski,

Y. J. Cardoza

M.D. Lorenzen

Corn Academic Summit, St. Louis. MO

2014

Development of RNAi-based Dominant Markers for use in Genetic Pest Management

F. Chu,

  M.D. Lorenzen

Entomology Graduate Student Symposium, Raleigh, NC

2012

Scientific 3rd Friday, Raleigh, NC

 

Poster Presentations

Reference Quality Insect Genomes: Applications for Sustainable Protein and Biodiversity

A. T. Dossey,

F. Chu,

B. Oppert

 Annual G10K-VGP/EBP 2019, New York city, NY

2019

Transgenic strains for genome-wide mutagenesis of two serious agricultural pests, Drosophila suzukii and Diabrotica virgifera virgifera

F. Chu,

W. A. Klobasa,

M.D. Lorenzen

Research Symposium at Bayer CropScience, Raleigh, NC.

2016

The best of two worlds: the use of CRISPR/Cas9 and transposable elements to generate a genome-wide mutagenesis system for the Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera

F. Chu,

S. Gorski,

Y. J. Cardoza

M.D. Lorenzen

       Ninth Annual Arthropod Genomics           Symposium.      Manhattan, KS

2015

      Insect Genetic Technology Research         Coordination Network. Manhattan, KS.

Genetic Engineering Research at NC State. Raleigh, NC.

Development of a germline transformation system for the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera

F. Chu,

S. Gorski,

Y. J. Cardoza

M.D. Lorenzen

 National Agricultural        Biotechnology Council, Ithaca, NY

2014

        2014 Graduate     Student Research Symposium, Raleigh,         NC

     Plant and Animal        Genome XXIIConference, San Diego,                CA

Development of RNAi-based Dominant Markers for use in Genetic Pest Management

F. Chu,

  M.D. Lorenzen

6th Annual Arthropod Genomics Symposium, Kansas City, MO

2012

 

 

References:

Dr. Marce Lorenzen               785-313-0712 mdlorenz@ncsu.edu

Associate Professor        North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695

PhD major advisor

 

Dr. Allen Cohen                         919-513-0567         accohen@ncsu.edu

Research Professor        North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695

A close professor in the Entomology department in NCSU  

 

Dr. Fred Gould                           919-515-1647         fred_gould@ncsu.edu

William Neal Reynolds Professor of Agriculture  

PhD major advisor        North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695

 

Dr. Brenda Oppert                      785-776-2780         brenda.oppert@usda.gov

Research Molecular Biologist   USDA-ARS Manhattan, KS, 66502

Research collaborator

 

 

 

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