March 5, 2025
March 5, 2025- Our collaboration effort on developing an “off-the-shelf” CAR-NKT cell therapy for ovarian cancer, together with UCLA Clinician... Read More
Our research centers on deciphering the cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling antitumor immunity, and exploiting knowledge to device the next-generation cancer immunotherapies.
Two active research directions are:
1.Identify new immune checkpoints and develop new immune checkpoint blockade therapy for cancer.
2. Develop novel “off-the-shelf” allogeneic immune cell therapies for cancer.
Li B#, Elsten-Brown J, Li M, Zhu E, Li Z, Chen Y, Kang E, Ma F, Chiang J, Li Y-R, Zhu Y, Huang J, Fung A, Scarborough Q, Cadd R, Zhou JJ, Chin AI, Pellegrini M, and Yang L#. (#Co-corresponding authors). Serotonin transporter inhibits antitumor immunity through regulating the intratumoral serotonin axis. Cell. 2025 May 20:S0092-8674(25)00502-1. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.04.032. Online ahead of print. [Cell PDF][UCLA Newsroom PDF]
Liu Z*, Li Y-R*, Yang Y*, Zhu Y, Yuan W, Hoffman T, Wu Y, Zhu E, Zarubova J, Shen J, Nan H, Yeh K-W, Hasani-Sadrabadi MM, Zhu Y, Fang Y, Ge X, Li Z, Soto J, Hsiai T, Yang L# and Li S#. (*Co-first authors; #Co-corresponding authors). Viscoelastic synthetic antigen-presenting cells for augmenting the potency of cancer therapies. Nat. Biomed. Eng. 2024, October 25. doi: 10.1038/s41551-024-01272-w. Online ahead of print. [Nature Biomedical Engineering PDF] [UCLA Samueli Newsroom PDF] [UCLA Health News PDF] [UCLA BSCRC News PDF]
Zhu E*, Yu J*, Li, Y-R, Ma F, Wang Y-C, Liu Y, Li M, Kim YJ, Zhu Y, Hahn Z, Zhou Y, Brown J, Zhang Y, Pellegrini M, Hsiai T, Yang L* and Huang Y#. (*Co-first authors; #Co-corresponding authors). Biomimetic cell stimulation with a graphene oxide antigen-presenting platform for developing T cell-based therapies. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2024, September 23. doi: 10.1038/s41565-024-01781-4. Online ahead of print. [Nature Nanotechnology PDF][UCLA Life Sciences News PDF][UCLA Health News PDF][UCLA BSCRC News PDF][UCLA CNSI News PDF][AAAS EurekAlert! PDF]
Li Y-R*, Zhou Y*, Yu J*, Kim YJ, Li M, Lee D, Zhou K, Chen Y, Zhu Y, Wang Y-C, Li Z, Yu Y, Dunn ZS, Guo W, Cen X, Husman T, Bajpai A, Kramer A, Wilson M, Fang Y, Huang J, Li S, Zhou Y, Zhang Y, Hahn Z, Zhu E, Ma F, Pan C, Lusis AJ, Zhou JJ, Seet CS, Kohn DB, Wang P, Zhou XJ, Pellegrini M, Puliafito BR, Larson SM, and Yang L. (*Co-first authors) Generation of allogeneic CAR-NKT cells from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells using a clinically guided culture method. Nat. Biotechnol. 2025 Mar; 43(3):329-344. doi: 10.1038/s41587-024-02226-y. Epub 2024 May 14. [Nature Biotechnology PDF][Nature Biotechnology News & Views PDF][Nature Portfolio PDF][UCLA Newsroom PDF][UCLA Health News PDF][UCLA BSCRC News PDF][Bioquick News PDF]
March 5, 2025- Our collaboration effort on developing an “off-the-shelf” CAR-NKT cell therapy for ovarian cancer, together with UCLA Clinician... Read More
February 29, 2025- Our Postdoctoral Scholar, Charlie Yan-Ruide Li, is awarded the 2025 UCLA Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center Collaborative Research Fellowship.... Read More
May 30, 2024- Dr. Lili Yang receives a $6.3 million CIRM Partnering Opportunity for Translational Research Projects Award to translate... Read More
We are currently recruiting PhD students (2 openings) and postdoctoral researchers (1 opening). Welcome to apply! [PhD Openings][Postdoc Openings]... Read More
May 11, 2021- Our off-the-shelf cell therapy technology is licensed by a Biotech startup, Appia Bio, for commercial development. The... Read More