May 21, 2025
May 21, 2025- Our research article is published on Cell, reporting the identification of serotonin transporter (SERT) as an immune... 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][UCLA Health News PDF][UCLA BSCRC News PDF][Gizmodo PDF][Daily Mail PDF][Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News PDF][Technology Networks PDF][Medpage Today PDF][Discover Magazine PDF][The Independent UK PDF][Yahoo PDF][OncoDaily PDF][Punjab News Express PDF][The Healthy Indian Project PDF][India New England News PDF][MDLinx PDF][Financial Express PDF][Earth.com PDF][Inside Precision Medicine PDF][Medical Dialogues PDF][Manchester Evening News PDF][MSN 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 Dec;8(12):1615-1633. doi: 10.1038/s41551-024-01272-w. Epub 2024 Oct 25. [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 Dec;19(12):1914-1922. doi: 10.1038/s41565-024-01781-4. Epub 2024 Sep 23. [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]
May 21, 2025- Our research article is published on Cell, reporting the identification of serotonin transporter (SERT) as an immune... 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