Education:
2005-2009 B.Sc. in Biological Science, School of Life Science, Shandong University
2009-2015 Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Research Experiences:
2022-Now Research Associate Fellow, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tsinghua University, China
2019-2022 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, US
2018-2019 Research Assistant Fellow, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, China
2016- 2018 Postdoctoral fellow, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
2014-2015 Joint PhD. Student research sponsored by China Scholarship Council, at University of Chicago, US
Research Areas:
Cancer is a major challenge to human health. In recent years, cancer immunotherapy has made groundbreaking progress in clinical settings, but most tumor patients do not respond to it. Utilizing protein and nucleic acid engineering techniques, mouse tumor models, and molecular and cellular immunological analyses, we study the immune regulatory mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment and develop a new generation of immunotherapeutic molecules. Our specific research includes: 1) the design and development of novel tumor-targeting antibody drugs and therapeutic cytokine protein drugs, and the study of their anti-tumor mechanisms; 2) the investigation of immune evasion mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment， and to explore effective combination therapy strategies.
Selected Publications:
1.Liang, Y, and Fu YX. LIGHTing CAR T in the tumor microenvironment. Mol Ther. 2023;31(9):2570-1.
2.Cao, X.Z.*, Liang, Y.*, Hu, Z.X., Li, H.Y., Yang, J.M., Hsu, E.J., Zhu, J.K., Zhou J., Y.X. Fu. Next generation of tumor-activating type I IFN enhances antigen presentation to improve treated-resistance inside tumor micro-environment. [*co-first author] Nat Communications 12, 5866 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/ s41467-021-26112-2
3.Guo, J.Y. *, Liang, Y.*#, Xue, D.Y., Shen, J., Cai, Y.Q., Zhu, J.K., Fu, Y.X. #, H. Peng#. Tumor-conditional IL-15 pro-cytokine reactivates anti-tumor immunity with limited toxicity. [*co-first author] Cell Research (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41422-021-00543-4
4.Liang, Y., R. Hannan, and Y.-X. Fu. Type I IFN Activating Type I Dendritic Cells for Antitumor Immunity. Clinical Cancer Research 2021;27(14):3818-24.
5.Liang, Y.*, Tang, H. *, Guo, J.Y. *, Qiu X.Y., Yang, Z.C., Ren, Z.H., Sun, Z.C., Bian, Y.J., Xu, H.R., Shen, J., Han, Y.F., Dong, H.D., Peng, H., Y.X. Fu. Targeting type I interferon tumor entry by anti-PD-L1 creates feedforward antitumor responses to overcome innate and adaptive resistance. Nat Communications 2018 Nov 2; 9(1):4586.
6.Tang, H.*, Liang, Y.*, Liu, X., Qiu, X., Mulgaonkar, A., Harrington, S., Guo, J., Peng, H., Sun, X., Qiao, J., Dong, H., Y.X. Fu. PD-L1 on host cells is essential for tumor regression mediated by PD-L1 blockade. [*co-first author] J. Clin. Invest. 2018; 128(2):580-8.
7.Liang, Y. and H. Peng. STING-cytosolic DNA sensing: the backbone for an effective tumor radiation therapy. Ann Transl Med, 2016. 4(3): p. 60.
8.Liang, Y. and H. Peng. LIGHTing tumor up for checkpoint blockade. Oncotarget, 2016. 7(31): p. 48857-48858.
9.Liang, Y., Yang, K.T., Guo, J.Y., Wroblewska, J., Fu, Y.X., H. Peng. Innate lymphotoxin receptor mediated signaling promotes HSV-1 associated neuroinflammation and viral replication. Scientific Reports, 2015.5:10406.
10.Meng CY, Sun S, Liang Y, Xu H, Zhang C, Zhang M, Wang FS, Fu YX, Peng H. Engineered anti-PDL1 with IFNα targets both immunoinhibitory and activating signals in the liver to break HBV immune tolerance. Gut. 2023 Aug;72(8):1544-1554. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2022-327059.
11.Shen J, Zou Z, Guo J, Cai Y, Xue D, Liang Y, Wang W, Peng H, Fu YX. An engineered concealed IL-15-R elicits tumor-specific CD8+T cell responses through PD-1-cis delivery. J Exp Med. 2022 Dec 5;219(12):e20220745. doi: 10.1084/jem.20220745.
12.Ren Z, Zhang A, Sun Z, Liang Y, Ye J, Qiao J, Li B, Fu YX. Selective delivery of low-affinity IL-2 to PD-1+ T cells rejuvenates antitumor immunity with reduced toxicity. J Clin Invest. 2022 Feb 1;132(3):e153604. doi: 10.1172/JCI153604.
13.Lu, C., J. Guan, S. Lu, Q. Jin, B. Rousseau, T. Lu, D. Stephens, H. Zhang, J. Zhu, M. Yang, Z. Ren, Y. Liang, Z. Liu, C. Han, L. Liu, X. Cao, A. Zhang, J. Qiao, K. Batten, M. Chen, D.H. Castrillon, T. Wang, B. Li, L.A. Diaz, G.-M. Li, and Y.-X. Fu. DNA Sensing in Mismatch Repair-Deficient Tumor Cells Is Essential for Anti-tumor Immunity. Cancer Cell 2021;39(1):96-108.e6.
14.Deng, S., Z. Sun, J. Qiao, Y. Liang, L. Liu, C. Dong, A. Shen, Y. Wang, H. Tang, Y.-X. Fu, and H. Peng. Targeting tumors with IL-21 reshapes the tumor microenvironment by proliferating PD-1intTim-3–CD8+ T cells. JCI Insight. 2020;5(7).
15.Peng, Q., X. Qiu, Z. Zhang, S. Zhang, Y. Zhang, Y. Liang, J. Guo, H. Peng, M. Chen, Y.-X. Fu, and H. Tang. PD-L1 on dendritic cells attenuates T cell activation and regulates response to immune checkpoint blockade. Nature Communications 2020;11(1).
16.Sun, Z., Z. Ren, K. Yang, Z. Liu, S. Cao, S. Deng, L. Xu, Y. Liang, J. Guo, Y. Bian, H. Xu, J. Shi, F. Wang, Y.-X. Fu, and H. Peng. A next-generation tumor-targeting IL-2 preferentially promotes tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T-cell response and effective tumor control. Nature Communications 2019;10(1).
17.Yang, K., Liang, Y., Sun, Z.C., Xue, D.Y., Xu, H.R., Zhu, M.Z., Fu, Y.X., H. Peng. T Cell-Derived Lymphotoxin Is Essential for the Anti-Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Humoral Immune Response. J Virol. 2018. 92. 14e00428-18
18.Ren, Z., J. Guo, J. Liao, Y. Luan, Z. Liu, Z. Sun, X. Liu, Y. Liang, H. Peng, and Y.-X. Fu. CTLA-4 Limits Anti-CD20–Mediated Tumor Regression. Clinical Cancer Research 2017;23(1):193-203.
19.Pu, Y., Xu, M., Liang, Y., Yang, K.T., Guo, Y.J., Yang, X.M. and Y.X. Fu. Androgen receptor antagonists compromise T cell response against prostate cancer leading to early tumor relapse. Sci Transl Med, 2016. 8(333):333ra347.
20.Guo, X.H., Liang, Y., Zhang, Y., Lasorella, A., Kee, B.L., Y.X. Fu. Innate Lymphoid Cells Control Early Colonization Resistance against Intestinal Pathogens through ID2-Dependent Regulation of the Microbiota. Immunity, 2015. 42, 731–743.
21.Kumar, V., Dasoveanu, D.C., Chyou, S., Tzeng, T.C., Rozo, C., Liang, Y., Stohl, W., Fu, Y.X., Ruddle, N.H., Lu, T.T. 2015. A Dendritic-Cell-Stromal Axis Maintains Immune Responses in Lymph Nodes. Immunity, 2015. 42, 719-730.
22.Okwor, I., G. Xu, H. Tang, Y. Liang, Y.-X. Fu, and J.E. Uzonna. Deficiency of CD40 Reveals an Important Role for LIGHT in Anti-Leishmania Immunity. The Journal of Immunology 2015;195(1):194-202.
Complete list of publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=zh-CN&user=Px7slAUAAAAJ
