Richard Ruan

Alexion-AstraZeneca


Hi! I'm currently a Senior Associate Scientist at AstraZeneca, and I work on developing gene therapies for cardiovascular disease. Previously I was a Research Associate at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where I worked on high-throughput target discovery with iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.

I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.Sc. in Bioengineering and a thesis on a common feature of Dengue Virus and SARS-CoV-2. I'm passionate about vascular biology, regenerative medicine, and good design.

Aside from being a lab workaholic, I enjoy origami (modular and tesselations), writing overly dramatic restaurant reviews on Yelp, practicing Studio Ghibli covers on the piano, and drinking several liters of coffee every day.


Publications

Genome-wide Association Study Reveals Mechanisms Underlying Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Myocardial Resilience
Nature Genetics - November 2024
Paper

ChatGPT and Neurosurgical Education: A Crossroads of Innovation and Opportunity
Journal of Clinical Neuroscience - September 2024
Paper

Awake Craniotomy in Africa: A Scoping Review of Literature and Proposed Solutions to Tackle Challenges
Neurosurgery - March 2023
Paper

SARS-CoV-2 Spike Triggers Barrier Dysfunction and Vascular Leak via Integrins and TGF-β signaling
Nature Communications - December 2022
Paper

Secretion of Leukotrienes by Senescent Lung Fibroblasts Promotes Pulmonary Fibrosis
JCI Insight - November 2019
Paper


Posters and Presentations

Enhancing Quality Control Measures in Upscaled Production of iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes for Cardiovascular Research and Therapeutic Development
Massachusetts General Hospital Cardiovascular Research Center Retreat - October 2023

Deep Brain Stimulation in Aggression
Cal Undergraduate Bioengineering Symposium - April 2023

Optimization of an iPSC-based Platform for Large-scale Cardiomyocyte Production
Broad Retreat - December 2022

Using a Murine Model to Study DENV NS1 and SARS-CoV-2 Spike-mediated Vascular Leak
UCSF Bay Area Microbial Pathogenesis Symposium - March 2022

Identifying Host Factors Critical for Viral Toxin-Mediated Vascular Leak
UC Berkeley Haas Scholars Symposium - January 2022

Supporting Medication Plan Adherence in DeLIVER Care Van Hepatitis C Patients
CHORI SSRP Symposium - August 2020


Research

Alexion-AstraZeneca (Cardiovascular Disease)
Senior Associate Scientist | April 2024 - Present

Ellinor Lab - Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (Cardiovascular Disease)
Collaboration with Bayer and Novo Nordisk
Research Associate 1 | June 2022 - April 2024
Lab Site

Neuro International Collaboration (Neurosurgery)
Team Lead | October 2021 - Present
Website

Harris Lab - UC Berkeley (Infectious Disease)
Haas Scholar | September 2020 - May 2022
Lab Site Haas Scholars SARS-CoV-2 Spike

Children's Hospital of Oakland Research Institute SSRP / UCSF Benioff (Hepatology)
Clinical Research Assistant | June 2020 - September 2020
More Info

Aghi Lab - UCSF (Neuro-Oncology)
Research Assistant | January 2020 - March 2020 (Research interrupted due to COVID-19 pandemic)
Lab Site

Chapman Lab - UCSF (Pulmonary Immunology)
Research Assistant | May 2019 - September 2019
Lab Site

Sucov Lab - USC (Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine)
Research Assistant | July 2017 - August 2017
Lab Site (now at MUSC)


Clinical Experience

Medical Scribe and Data Labeler - DeepScribe
Gastroenterology, Pain Management, Chiropractics, Geriatrics, Psychiatry, Neurology, Orthopedics, Internal Medicine, and Cardiology
August 2019 - May 2021 (300 hours)
More Info