I am a scientist who has extensive research experiences in immunology, immuno-oncology, cell biology, molecular biology, stem cell biology (hematopoietic and embryonic), and bone marrow transplantation.  One of the focuses of my work is to understand interleukin 7 (IL-7) signaling in the development of lymphoid progenitors in the thymus and creates a strategy for enhancement of post-bone marrow transplantation (BMT) immune reconstitution.  By combining transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and therapeutic use of IL-7, we developed a method to regulate the development of T lymphocytes from the transplanted HSCs in experimental in vivo model system. The ultimate goal of these studies is to develop a clinically relevant strategy for immune reconstitution that will permit the rapid development of protective immunity in HSCT recipients.  Moreover, the result from my research work demonstrated that blocking of IL-7 signaling prevents graft versus host-disease  (GVHD).

 

Recently, immunotherapy is changing the way cancer treatments have been practiced and many clinical and biotech institutes are developing the most promising cutting-edge immune cell transplantation therapies for late stage cancer patients on variety of clinical trials.  In my latest research projects, I developed a human 3-dimensional (3D) organoid model system ex vivo and in vivo to study the developmental process of T lymphocytes and cancer cells in solid tumor microenvironment.  We developed an implantable human thymic microenvironment system that can be engineered to promote human T cell development.  In addition, utilizing an artificially generated solid 3-D tumor microenvironment composed of various cell populations (etc. cancer cell associated fibroblasts (CAFs), immune cells, mesenchymal stem cells), we discovered various cross-talk mechanisms involving communication network between cancer cells and non-cancerous neighboring tissues.  Through these novel findings, we developed several  important immunotherapies (etc. antigen specific cytotoxic T cells, chimeric antigen T cells (CAR-T), bi-specific antibody, chemokine blocking antibody) to attack both cancer cells and CAFs.

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Based on my extensive experiences in immunology, immuno-oncology, cellular biology, stem cell translational medicine, and genomics, I provide professional consultation services for:

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Scientific data analysis, interpretation, and  development

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Scientific experimental  designs, applications, and strategies

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