EDUCATION
Sep. 2008-Dec. 2014, PhD, Xiamen University, P. R. China
Aug. 2012-Mar. 2013, Visiting students, Harvard medical school, USA
Sep. 2004-Jul. 2008, B. Eng., Fuzhou University, P. R. China
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Sep. 2021-present, Doctoral supervisor, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, P. R. China
Aug. 2020-present, Associate professor, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, P. R. China
Jul. 2015-Jul. 2020, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, P. R. China
RESEARCH AREA
Cancers, as a significant global health challenge, pose a substantial threat to human well-being due to their complex origins and the difficulties inherent in eradicating them. Therefore, research into cancer treatment has consistently been a challenging and key research task in the medical field. Translational medicine research in cancer holds vast potential for application and significant social value in cancer treatment. By integrating basic medical research with clinical practice, we can more effectively harness scientific advancements to provide more efficient and precise treatment options for cancer patients, ultimately improving their prognosis.
Our lab has risen to this challenge, focusing on both basic and translational research relevant to developing innovative oncolytic virotherapy and immunotherapy for the treatment of cancers such as lung cancer, liver cancer, acute myeloid leukemia and glioblastoma. We have successfully developed and translated a groundbreaking recombinant oncolytic herpes simplex virus expressing human PD-1 antibody, YST-OVH, into clinical practice. This novel therapy has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration (Center for Drug Evaluation) for clinical trials in a variety of malignant tumors. Current, multiple clinical trials are being conducted in numerous renowned hospitals nationwide, testing the efficacy of such treatment against different types of malignant tumors.
Our approach to study cancer immunotherapy is based on a comprehensive research paradigm, which covers everything from platform establishment to mechanism verification and preclinical evaluations. We utilize functional genomic approaches and high-throughput screening techniques to establish various in vitro and in vivo screening assays, we investigate the complex pathways employed by cancer cells to avoid being attacked by various immune cells, such as CD8+ T cells, NK cells, and macrophages. Our goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of cancer immune evasion, paving the way for the development of novel targets and effective strategies in cancer immunotherapy. Furthermore, exemplified by the working model of PD-1/PD-L1 signaling axis, we also focus on identifying novel receptor-ligand interactions within the tumor microenvironment through the integration of versatile receptor-ligand high-throughput screening methods. By deciphering these crucial interactions, we aim to identify molecular markers that can effectively guide the early diagnosis of cancer and monitor the effectiveness of cancer treatment, as well as targeted therapies that can potentially boost anti-tumor immunity.
REPRESENTATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS
Selected Publications
1. Ren, W.*, Xu, Z.*, Chang, Y.*, Ju, F.*, Wu, H.*, Liang, Z.*, Zhao, M., Wang, N., Lin, Y., Xu, C., Chen, S., Rao, Y., Lin, C., Yang, J, Liu, P.#, Zhang, J.#, Huang, C.# & Xia, N.# Pharmaceutical targeting of OTUB2 sensitizes tumors to cytotoxic T cells via degradation of PD-L1. Nature Communications 15, 9, doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-44466-7 (2024). (#Co-corresponding author)
2. Lin, C.*, Teng, W.*, Tian, Y.*, Li, S., Xia, N. & Huang, C.# The immune landscape and response to oncolytic virus-based immunotherapy. Frontiers of Medicine, In Press (2024). (#Correspondence author)
3. Wang, G.*, Cao, J.*, Gui, M.*, Huang, P.*, Zhang, L.*, Qi, R., Chen, R., Lin, L., Han, Q., Lin, Y., Chen, T., He, P., Ma, J., Fu, R., Hong, J., Wu, Q., Yu, H., Chen, J., Huang, C.#, Zhang, T.#, Yuan, Q.#, Zhang, J.#, Chen, Y.# & Xia, N.# The potential of swine pseudorabies virus attenuated vaccine for oncolytic therapy against malignant tumors. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 42, 284, doi:10.1186/s13046-023-02848-1 (2023). (#Co-corresponding author)
4. Tian, R.*, Ju, F.*, Yu, M.*, Liang, Z., Xu, Z., Zhao, M., Qin, Y., Lin, Y., Huang, X., Chang, Y., Li, S., Ren, W., Lin, C., Xia, N. & Huang, C.# A potent neutralizing and protective antibody against a conserved continuous epitope on HSV glycoprotein D. Antiviral Res 201, 105298, doi:10.1016/j.antiviral.2022.105298 (2022). (#Correspondence author)
5. Ju, F.*, Luo, Y.*, Lin, C.*, Jia, X.*, Xu, Z., Tian, R., Lin, Y., Zhao, M., Chang, Y., Huang, X., Li, S., Ren, W., Qin, Y., Yu, M., Jia, J., Han, J., Luo, W., Zhang, J., Fu, G.#, Ye, X.#, Huang, C.# & Xia, N.# Oncolytic virus expressing PD-1 inhibitors activates a collaborative intratumoral immune response to control tumor and synergizes with CTLA-4 or TIM-3 blockade. J Immunother Cancer 10, doi:10.1136/jitc-2022-004762 (2022). (#Co-corresponding author)
6. Luo, Y.*, Lin, C.*, Zou, Y., Ju, F., Ren, W., Lin, Y., Wang, Y., Huang, X., Liu, H., Yu, Z., Liu, P., Tan, G., Yuan, Q., Zhang, J., Huang, C.# & Xia, N.# Tumor-targeting oncolytic virus elicits potent immunotherapeutic vaccine responses to tumor antigens. Oncoimmunology 9, 1726168, doi:10.1080/2162402X.2020.1726168 (2020). (#Co-corresponding author)
7. Lin, C.*, Ren, W.*, Luo, Y., Li, S., Chang, Y., Li, L., Xiong, D., Huang, X., Xu, Z., Yu, Z., Wang, Y., Zhang, J., Huang, C.# & Xia, N.# Intratumoral Delivery of a PD-1-blocking scFv encoded in Oncolytic HSV-1 Promotes Antitumor Immunity and Synergizes with TIGIT Blockade. Cancer Immunol Res, doi:10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-19-0628 (2020). (#Co-corresponding author)
8. Lin, C., Li, H., Hao, M., Xiong, D., Luo, Y., Huang, C.#, Yuan, Q., Zhang, J. & Xia, N.# Increasing the Efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Precise Genome Editing of HSV-1 Virus in Human Cells. Sci Rep 6, 34531, doi:10.1038/srep34531 (2016). (#Co-corresponding author)
9. Huang, C. H.*, Yuan, Q.*, Chen, P. J., Zhang, Y. L., Chen, C. R., Zheng, Q. B., Yeh, S. H., Yu, H., Xue, Y., Chen, Y. X., Liu, P. G., Ge, S. X., Zhang, J.# & Xia, N. S.# Influence of mutations in hepatitis B virus surface protein on viral antigenicity and phenotype in occult HBV strains from blood donors. J Hepatol 57, 720-729, doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2012.05.009 (2012). (*Co-first author)
10. Geng, X.*, Huang, C.*, Qin, Y., McCombs, J. E., Yuan, Q., Harry, B. L., Palmer, A. E., Xia, N. S.# & Xue, D.# Hepatitis B virus X protein targets Bcl-2 proteins to increase intracellular calcium, required for virus replication and cell death induction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109, 18471-18476, doi:10.1073/pnas.1204668109 (2012). (*Co-first author)
Authorized Patents
1. RECOMBINANT HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS AND USE THEREOF, China, ZL 201810165563.4, 2022/8, first inventor
2. RECOMBINANT HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS AND USE THEREOF, USA, US11,680,248, 2023/7, first inventor
3. ANTI-PD-1 ANTIBODIES AND USE THEREOF, China, ZL 201910654839.X, 2021/12, first inventor
Academic Grants
1. Title of project: Targeting leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 overcomes resistance to oncolytic herpes simplex virus in glioblastoma and insights into their synergistic mechanisms
Type of grant: National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program)
Grant number: 82373286
Role in project: PI
Duration: 2024/01-2027/12
2. Title of project: HBV-specific B cell response and antibody-gene cloning
Type of grant: National Science and Technology Major Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China
Grant number: 2018ZX10301404-001
Role in project: PI
Duration: 2018/01-2021/06
3. Title of project: Role and mechanism of HBx BH3 domain HBV replication and hepatocarcinogenesis
Type of grant: National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program)
Grant number: 81571990
Role in project: PI
Duration: 2016/01-2019/12
AWARD AND HONOR
1. First Prize of Science and Technology Progress Award of Xiamen City in 2014
2. Second Prize of Science and Technology Progress Award of Fujian Province in 2017
