Wenkai Yi is a PhD student in Doctor Jian Yan’s laboratory at City University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on uncovering the molecular mechanism by which human endogenous retrovirus subfamily H (HERV-H) RNA mediates the maintenance of stemness in human embryonic stem cells. Human endogenous retrovirus subfamily H (HERV-H) represents a group of primate-specific retrotransposons integrated into the human genome. The transcriptionally active HERV-H is strongly associated with the pluripotent state of stem cells, serving as a key molecular feature of human embryonic stem cell identity. Nevertheless, the precise molecular mechanism through which noncoding RNA transcribed from HERV-H sustains pluripotency and regulates cellular stemness remains largely elusive. Wenkai has contributed to developing and applying innovative experimental approaches to investigate RNA-binding proteins in living cells, aiming to illuminate these fundamental processes.