Research Interests
Dr. Wang’s research focuses on investigating the interrelationship between animal nutrition and immunology, as well as between animal nutrition and meat quality. In the area of animal nutrition and immunology, development of natural antimicrobial peptides as novel antibacterial immune-stimulating agents is one of the main goals of his lab. These antimicrobial peptides are potential replacements for antibiotic, thus screening of their antibacterial activities, cytotoxicity, stability and immunomodulatory functions, molecular designing and modification, and recombinant expression is examined thoroughly in vitro. Another goal is to stimulate expression of these porcine innate antimicrobial peptides by nutritional factors, thereby enhancing host defense abilities and reducing the use of antibiotics in swine feed.

Another focus of Dr. Wang’s research is in animal nutrition and meat quality. Microarray analysis is utilized to screen differentially expressed genes related to intramuscular fat deposition and muscle fiber development by comparing the Chinese local pig breeds and exotic pig breed. Regulatory roles of those genes and the signaling mechanisms are explored in intramuscular adipocytes and muscle satellite cells. The final goal is to provide new pathways which could be utilized to improve meat quality through nutritional regulation.