January 4, 2026- Our review article is published on Journal of Biomedical Science, reporting microbiome modulation of tumorigenesis and immune responses. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author, Yuning (Christine) Chen, and the co-corresponding author, Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [Journal of Biomedical Sciences PDF]
December 8, 2025- Our Obituary article is published on Nature Biotechnology, honoring the Nobel laureate Dr. David Baltimore, a science legend and a most beloved mentor. This article focuses on David’s west coast voyage and his vision of a Los Angeles Bio-Hub, written by his trainees and collaborators Drs. Lili Yang, Antoni Ribas, and Owen Witte. [Nature Biotechnology PDF][UCLA MIMG][UCLA BSCRC][X.parkerici]
November 21, 2025- Our research article is published on PNAS, reporting the targeting of orthotopic and metastatic pancreatic cancer with allogeneic stem cell-engineered mesothelin-redirected CAR-NKT cells. This study is in collaboration with the Caius Radu Lab at UCLA. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [PNAS PDF][UCLA News PDF][Fox News PDF][Yahoo! News PDF]
November 5, 2025- Our review article is published on Journal of Translational Medicine, reporting the targeting of innovative gene engineering strategies to address tumor antigen escape in cell therapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors, Yuning (Christine) Chen and Siyue (Darcy) Niu, and the co-corresponding author, Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [Journal of Translational Medicine PDF]
October 13, 2025- Our research article is published on Journal of Hematology & Oncology, reporting the targeting of triple-negative breast cancer using cord-blood CD34+ HSPC-derived mesothelin-specific CAR-NKT cells with potent antitumor activity. This study is in collaboration with Drs.Yuan Yuan, David Lin and Catherine Zhang from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at Los Angeles. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [Journal of Hematology & Oncology PDF][UCLA News PDF][UCLA Health News PDF][Public Now PDF]
October 9, 2025- Our method article is published on Nature Protocols, reporting the manufacturing synthetic viscoelastic antigen-presenting cells for immunotherapy. This study is in collaboration with the Song Li Lab at the UCLA Samuel School of Engineering. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Zeyang (Leo) Liu and Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [Nature Protocols PDF]
September 12, 2025- Our research article is published on Molecular Therapy, reporting the development of allogeneic stem cell-engineered EGFRvIII-specific CAR-NKT cells for treating glioblastoma with enhanced efficacy and safety. This study is in collaboration with the Laboratories of David Nathanson and Robert Prins at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first and co-corresponding author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [Molecular Therapy PDF] [Molecular Therapy Commentary PDF]
August 29, 2025- Our research article is published on Cell Reports Medicine, reporting the multimodal targeting of metastatic renal cell carcinoma via CD70-directed allogeneic CAR-NKT cells. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Junhui (Daniel) Hu! This study is a collaboration between our lab and the Laboratories of Lily Wu and Arnold Qin. This publication attracts broad media coverage including UCLA News, Today’s Clinical Lab, MedPath, GEN, and many more. [Cell Reports Medicine PDF][UCLA Health PDF][UCLA BSCRC PDF][Today’s Clinical Lab PDF][MedPath PDF][Lab Manager PDF][Bioengineer PDF][Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News PDF]
August 12, 2025- Our research article is published on Med, reporting the overcoming of ovarian cancer resistance and evasion to CAR-T cell therapy by harnessing allogeneic CAR-NKT cells. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! This study is a collaboration between our lab, the Memarzadeh lab, and many others. It is featured on various UCLA news. [Med PDF][UCLA Newsroom PDF][UCLA Health PDF][UCLA BSCRC PDF][UCLA Life Sciences PDF][Instagram PDF]
July 7, 2025- Our review article is published on Trends in Cancer, reporting the application of IL-18 in reviving dysfunctional CAR-T cells. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Yichen (John) Zhu! [Trends in Cancer PDF]
June 18, 2025- Our review article is published on Trends in Molecular Medicine, reporting the application of IL-15 in CAR engineering via striking an efficacy-safety balance. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Yichen (John) Zhu! [Trends in Molecular Medicine PDF]
May 21, 2025- Our research article is published on Cell, reporting the identification of serotonin transporter (SERT) as an immune checkpoint and the promise of repurposing the common serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants for cancer immunotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the leading authors Bo Li and James Elsten-Brown! This publication attracts broad media coverage including UCLA News, Technology Networks, Discover Magazine, and many more. [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][Trends in Molecular Medicine PDF]
May 16, 2025- Our review article is published on Nature Reviews Immunology, reporting the in vivo CAR engineering for immunotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Yichen (John) Zhu, as well as co-author Tyler Halladay! [Nature Reviews Immunology PDF]
May 6, 2025- Our review article is published on Med, reporting the emerging trends in clinical allogeneic CAR cell therapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Yichen (John) Zhu! [Med PDF]
May 2, 2025- Our method article is published on STAR Protocols, reporting the protocol to generate allorejection-resistant universal CAR-NKT cells and evaluate their efficacy, mechanism of action, safety, and immunogenicity. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the first author Ying (Mona) Fang and the co-corresponding author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [STAR Protocols PDF]
May 2, 2025- Our review article is published on Experimental Hematology & Oncology, reporting the addressing of graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic cell-based immunotherapy for cancer. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Zibai (Nancy) Lyu and Siyue (Darcy) Niu, and the co-corresponding author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [Experimental Hematology & Oncology PDF]
April 24, 2025- Our review article is published on Trends in Microbiology, reporting the microbiota shaping of the life trajectory of mucosal-associated invariant T cells. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Xinyuan (Sean) Shen! [Trends in Microbiology PDF]
April 5, 2025- Our method article is published on STAR Protocols, reporting the protocol to profile tumor and microenvironment from ovarian cancer patient samples and evaluate cell-based therapy using in vitro killing assays. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Christopher Ochoa! This study is a collaboration with the Memarzadeh Lab. [STAR Protocols PDF]
March 17, 2025- Our review article is published on Trends in Cancer, reporting the clinical landscape of CAR-engineered unconventional T cells. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Ying (Mona) Fang and Yuning (Christine) Chen, and the co-corresponding author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [Trends in Cancer PDF]
March 1, 2025- Our review article is published on Journal of Biomedical Science, reporting biological functions and therapeutic applications of human mucosal-associated invariant T cells. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-corresponding author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and co-first authors Ying (Mona) Fang and Yuning (Christine) Chen! [Journal of Biomedical Sciences PDF]
February 1, 2025- Our research article is published on Nature Communications, reporting allogeneic CD33-directed CAR-NKT cells for the treatment of bone marrow-resident myeloid malignancies. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li, Ying (Mona) Fang, Siyuan (Darcy) Niu, and Yichen (John) Zhu! [Nature Communications PDF][UCLA BSCRC PDF]
January 17, 2025- Our method article is published on Nature Protocols, reporting generating allogeneic CAR-NKT cells for off-the-shelf cancer immunotherapy with genetically engineered HSP cells and feeder-free differentiation culture. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li, Kuangyi (Coin) Zhou, and Derek Lee! [Nature Protocols PDF]
January 3, 2025- Our review article is published on Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, reporting boosting CAR-T cell therapy through vaccine synergy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Zibai (Nancy) Lyu! [Trends in Pharmacological Sciences PDF]
December 12, 2024- Our commentary article is published on Cancer Cell, reporting breaking the mold by harnessing unconventional T cells in cancer therapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li, Kuangyi (Coin) Zhou, Yichen (John) Zhu, and Tyler Halladay! [Cancer Cell PDF]
November 25, 2024- Our review article is published on Molecular Therapy, reporting managing allorejection in off-the-shelf CAR-engineered cell therapies. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Ying (Mona) Fang! [Molecular Therapy PDF]
October 25, 2024- Our research article is published on Nature Biomedical Engineering, reporting the engineering of synthetic viscoelastic antigen-presenting cells (SynVACs) for augmenting the potency of cancer therapies. This study is in collaboration with the Song Li Lab at the UCLA Samuel School of Engineering. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Zeyang (Leo) Liu, Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li, and Youcheng Yang! [Nature Biomedical Engineering PDF]
September 23, 2024- Our research article is published on Nature Nanotechnology, reporting the generation of a graphene oxide antigen-presenting platform (GO-APP) for developing T cell-based therapies. This study is in collaboration with the Yu Huang Lab at the UCLA Samuel School of Engineering. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Enbo Zhu and Jiaji (Victor) Yu! This publication is featured on the UCLA News, AAAS EurekAlert, and other media.[Nature Nanotechnology PDF][UCLA Health News PDF][UCLA BSCRC News PDF][UCLA CNSI News PDF][AAAS EurekAlert! PDF]
May 14, 2024- Our research article is published on Nature Biotechnology, reporting the generation of allogeneic CAR-NKT cells from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells using a clinically guided culture method. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li, Yang (Alice) Zhou, and Jiaji (Victor) Yu! This publication is featured on the Nature Biotechnology News & Views, Nature Portfolio, UCLA News and other media. [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]
April 6, 2024- Our research article is published on Molecular Therapy, reporting engineering allorejection-resistant CAR-NKT cells from hematopoietic stem cells for off-the-shelf cancer immunotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [Molecular Therapy PDF]
January 12, 2024- Our review article is published on Journal of Biomedical Science, reporting immune evasions in cell-based immunotherapy and unraveling challenges and novel strategies. Congratulations to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Tyler Halladay! [Journal of Biomedical Science PDF]
November 15, 2023- Dr. Lili Yang’s talk at the 38th SITC Annual Meeting is featured in ACIR (Accelerating Cancer Immunotherapy Research) Newsletter, on the topic of “Beyond the Classical Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors – Targeting the Neuro-Immune Interface”. [ACIR NewsLetter PDF]
November 8, 2023- Our research article collaborating with Dr. Pin Wang and Dr. Matteo Pellegrini’s Labs is published on Nature Communications, reporting unlocking the potential of allogeneic Vδ2 T cells for ovarian cancer therapy through CD16 biomarker selection and CAR/IL-15 engineering. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Derek Lee, Zachary Spencer Dunn, and Wenbin Guo![Nature Communications PDF][UCLA News PDF]
October 20, 2023- Our research article collaborating with Dr. Sanaz Memarzadeh’s Lab is published on iScience, reporting profiling ovarian cancer tumor and microenvironment during disease progression for cell-based immunotherapy design. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Christopher Ochoa![iScience PDF][UCLA News PDF]
October 18, 2023- Our research article collaborating with Dr. Tzung Hsiai ‘s Lab is published on Science Advances, reporting a self-assembled implantable microtublar pacemaker for wireless cardiac electrotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Shaolei Wang and Qingyu Cui! [Science Advances PDF]
October 2, 2023- Our review article is published on Journal of Translational Medicine, reporting exploring the dynamic interplay between cancer stem cells and the tumor microenvironment and its implications for novel therapeutic strategies. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first and co-corresponding author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [Journal of Translational Medicine PDF]
July 6, 2023- Our research article collaborating with Dr. Yu Huang’s Lab is published on ACS Nano, reporting bubble-mediated large-scale hierarchical assembly of ultrathin Pt nanowire network monolayer at gas/liquid interfaces. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Enbo Zhu and Yang Liu! [ACS Nano PDF]
March 21, 2023- Our review article is published on Cell Stem Cell, reporting advancing cell-based cancer immunotherapy through stem cell engineering. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Zachary Spencer Dunn! [Cell Stem Cell PDF]
February 17, 2023- Our review article is published on International Journal of Molecular Sciences, reporting the graft-versus-host dosease modulation by innate T cells. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Ying Fang and Yichen (John) Zhu, and co-corresponding author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [International Journal of Molecular Sciences PDF]
December 5, 2022- Our review article is published on Molecular Therapy, reporting the mucosal-associated invariant T cells for cancer immunotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Kuangyi (Coin) Zhou![Molecular Therapy PDF]
October 6, 2022- Our review article is published on Frontiers in Immunology, reporting the targeting of tumor microenvironment by innate T cells. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Matthew Wilson! [Frontiers in Immunology PDF]
September 1, 2022- Our research article is published on Frontiers in Pharmacology, reporting that nanoformulation improves antitumor efficacy of MAOI immune checkpoint blockade therapy without causing aggression-related side effects. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author James Brown and the co-corresponding author Bo Li! [Frontiers in Pharmacology PDF]
August 16, 2022- Our research article is published on iScience, reporting the development of “off-the-shelf” third-party iNKT cells for improving bone marrow transplant safety. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Sam Zeng! This publication is featured on UCLA News. [iScience PDF][UCLA News PDF]
July 7, 2022- Our research article is published on International Journal of Molecular Sciences, reporting the tumor-localized adminisatration of a-GalCel to recruit invariant natural killer T cells and enhance their antitumor activity against solid tumors. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [International Journal of Molecular Sciences PDF]
June 30, 2022- Our review article is published on International Journal of Molecular Sciences, reporting interleukin 15 (IL-15) in cell-based cancer immunotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yang (Alice) Zhou and Husman Tiffany! [International Journal of Molecular Sciences PDF]
June 8, 2022- Our review article is published on Cancers, reporting human gamma-delta T (rdT) cell subsets and their clinical applications for cancer immunotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author Derek Lee! [Cancers PDF]
June 1, 2022- Our research article is published on Cancers, reporting the targeting of immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) using innate T cells for enhanced antitumor reactivity. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! [Cancers PDF]
May 8, 2022- Our research article is published on Cells, reporting an ex vivo 3D tumor microenvironment-mimicry culture to study tumor-associated macrophage (TAM)-modulation of cancer immunotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Yanqi (Darren) Yu! [Cells PDF]
May 1, 2022- Our review article is published on Cells, reporting the engineering of iPSCs for cancer immunotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yang (Alice) Zhou, Miao (Eric) Li, and Kuangyi (Coin) Zhou! [Cancers PDF]
April 19, 2022- Dr. Lili Yang is featured on the anniversary issue of Cell Reports Medicine. Congratulations! [Cell Reports Medicine PDF]
March 31, 2022- Our research article is published on Cancers, reporting a new method for minimally invasive preclinical monitoring of the peritoneal cavity tumor microenvironment. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author Zach Dunn! [Cancers PDF]
March 14, 2022- Our review article is published on Frontiers in Immunology, reporting MAOI antidepressants as the next-generation immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors James Brown and Bo Li! [Frontiers in Immunology PDF]
March 21, 2022- Our research article is published on Stem Cell Research & Therapy, reporting the development of off-the-shelf hematopoietic stem cell-engineered invariant natural killer T cells for COVID-19 therapeutic intervention. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first-author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li! This publication is featured on UCLA Blog. [Stem Cell Research & Therapy PDF][UCLA Blog PDF]
December 10, 2021- Our review article is published on Cells, reporting the development of stem cell-derived immune cells for off-the-shelf cancer immunotherapies. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li and Zach Dunn! [Cells PDF]
December 1, 2021- Our review article is published on Trends in Cancer, reporting the engineering of stem cells for cancer immunotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first author Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li!
November 16, 2021- Our research article is published on Cell Reports Medicine, reporting a step closer to making “off-the-shelf” immune cell therapy for cancer. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yan-Ruide (Charlie) Li & Zhou (Alice) Yang! This publication is featured on multiple news media. [Cell Reports Medicine PDF][UCLA News PDF][BSCRC News PDF][JCCC News PDF][CIRM Blog PDF]
June 10, 2021- Our two research articles are published on Science Immunology and Nature Communications, reporting the identification of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) as an immune checkpoint restraining T cell antitumor immunity and modulating tumor-associated macrophage polarization, as well as the potential of repurposing MAO inhibitor (MAOI) antidepressants for cancer immunotherapy. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first-authors Shirley Xi Wang and Ryan Yu-Chen Wang! This publication is featured on multiple news media. [Science Immunology PDF][Nature Communications PDF][Science Magazine News PDF][UCLA News PDF][CBS News PDF][NBC News PDF][Fierce Biotech News PDF][Drug Target Review News PDF]
October 18, 2019- Our research article is published on the Journal of Experimental Medicine, reporting creatine uptake regulation of CD8 T cell immunity. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the first-author Stefano Di Biase! This publication is featured on multiple news media. [JEM PDF][UCLA News][UC News][MedicalXpress][ScienceDaily][The Medical News][Technology Networks]
September 5, 2019- Our research article is published on Cell Stem Cell, reporting the development of an HSC-engineered iNKT cell therapy for cancer. Congratulations to all the authors, in particular to the co-first authors Yanni Zhu and Drake Smith! This publication is featured on multiple news media. [Cell Stem Cell PDF][CSC Highlight][UCLA News][Medical News Today][The Stem Cell Podcast]