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Dr. Guo, a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, is the pioneer of RNA nanotechnology. He is the president of the International Society of RNA Nanotech and Nanomedicine (ISRNN); received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and conducted his postdoctoral training at NIH. He joined Purdue University in 1990, tenured in 1993, became a full professor in 1997, and was honored as a Purdue Distinguished Faculty Scholar in 1998. He served as the Director of the NIH Nanomedcine Development Center (NDC) from 2006-2011.
He first proposed the idea that a large number of previously undiscovered small RNAs exist in cells with novel function (Science 1987); constructed the 1st viral DNA packaging motor (PNAS 1986); discovered phi29 motor pRNA (Science, 1987); proved the concept of RNA nanotechnology (Mol Cell 1998, featured in Cell,1998; 4 papers in Nat Nanotechnol 2009, 2010, 2011, 2018; Nature Comm, 2019); he invented a novel method for the production of the vaccinia virus mRNA capping enzyme (PNAS, 1990 ,7:4023) that is used currently as an essential component for the production of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine; invented a method for the use of the TIRF system to count single-fluorophore molecules (EMBOJ, 2007); invented the incorporation of phi29 motor channel into a membrane for single pore sensing of peptides (Nat Nanotechnol, 2009); discovered a 3rd class of biomotor using revolving mechanism without rotation; invented Exojuice for exosome purification with a simple one step.
He received many honors including the Pfizer Distinguished Faculty Award, Lions Club Cancer Research Award, Distinguished Alumni of the U of Minnesota, and named the “Innovator of the Year” by OSU in 2021. He has been featured numerous times by TV such as ABC and NBC, and featured by media outlets of NIH, NSF, MSNBC, NCI, and ScienceNow. He was a member of two prominent National Nanotechnology Initiatives by NSF, NIH, National Council of Nanotechnology and NIST, and two NIH steering committees in NDC and Extracellular RNA.