Yang Liu (immunologist)

Last updated
Yang Liu
Alma mater
Scientific career
Institutions University of Maryland, Baltimore
Website www.ihv.org/Research/Immunotherapy/Division-Faculty/

Yang Liu is a Chinese-American immunologist. He serves as director of the Division of Immunotherapy, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland Baltimore. [1]

Contents

Biography

Liu was an associate research scientist at Yale School of Medicine, and then an assistant, and subsequently associate professor at the New York University Medical Center from 1992 to 1998. From 1998 to 2006, he was the Kurtz Chair Professor and the director of Division of Cancer Immunology, Department of Pathology, at the Ohio State University. [2] From 2006 to 2012, he was the De Nancrede Professor and The director of Division of Immunotherapy in the department of surgery at the University of Michigan. From 2012 to 2017, he was the Bosworth Professor and the director for the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research at The Children's National Medical Center. From 2018 to 2020, he was professor and the director at the Division of Immunotherapy, the Institute of Human Virology and the department of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. [3]

Liu was the founder of OncoImmune, Inc. and served as its chairman and CEO. [4] [5] After acquisition of OncoImmune, Inc by Merck, Inc. Liu co-founded OncoC4, Inc and serves as its chairman, CEO and CSO.

Research

Dr. Liu's research focuses on an age-old question: why do microbes induce life-long sterilizing immunity while cancer cannot? His interest in this question was kindled when he made the observation that viral activation of host antigen-presenting cells fundamentally altered the requirement for activation of CD8+ T cells when he was a graduate student at Australian National University. In his subsequent studies in Janeway laboratory at Yale University, he provided the first evidence that components from a diverse origin of microbes, which was called pathogen-associated molecular patterns by Janeway, induce co-stimulatory activity in antigen-presenting cells, and proposed that microbial induction of co-stimulatory molecules explains how the immune system distinguishes between "infectious non-self and non-infectious self". [6] Later work from Dr. Liu's laboratory demonstrated that induction of B7-1 and B7-2 explains the function of infection on adaptive immunity.

As the flip side of the coin, his work elucidated the mechanism prevents the non-infectious innate immune stimuli from dying cells, which is collectively called danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) from triggering strong immune responses. [7] [8] Based on these findings, he has his colleagues at OncoImmune Inc developed CD24Fc as a novel immunotherapeutic to target inflammation associated with tissue injuries. This drug is being tested in various diseases conditions to selectively regulate immunological diseases associated with cellular injuries, including autoimmune and metabolic diseases, and graft vs host diseases. [9]

Dr. Liu is a pioneer in T cell costimulation and cancer immunotherapy. His work provides unique insights on mechanism of immunotherapy, allowing development of safer and more effective immunotherapeutics to treat cancer with minimal immunotherapy-related adverse events. [10]

Honors

Liu has received Irvington Fellow (1990), the Markey Scholar Award (1992), and the Searle Scholar Award (1993), Graduate Teaching Award (2001), and Snyder Award for Cancer Research (2015) and was elected to fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2004. [11]

Related Research Articles

Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as activation immunotherapies, while immunotherapies that reduce or suppress are classified as suppression immunotherapies. Immunotherapy is under preliminary research for its potential to treat various forms of cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cancer immunotherapy</span> Artificial stimulation of the immune system to treat cancer

Cancer immunotherapy (immuno-oncotherapy) is the stimulation of the immune system to treat cancer, improving the immune system's natural ability to fight the disease. It is an application of the fundamental research of cancer immunology and a growing subspecialty of oncology.

Co-stimulation is a secondary signal which immune cells rely on to activate an immune response in the presence of an antigen-presenting cell. In the case of T cells, two stimuli are required to fully activate their immune response. During the activation of lymphocytes, co-stimulation is often crucial to the development of an effective immune response. Co-stimulation is required in addition to the antigen-specific signal from their antigen receptors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CD86</span> Mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Cluster of Differentiation 86 is a protein constitutively expressed on dendritic cells, Langerhans cells, macrophages, B-cells, and on other antigen-presenting cells. Along with CD80, CD86 provides costimulatory signals necessary for T cell activation and survival. Depending on the ligand bound, CD86 can signal for self-regulation and cell-cell association, or for attenuation of regulation and cell-cell disassociation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CD24</span>

Signal transducer CD24 also known as cluster of differentiation 24 or heat stable antigen CD24 (HSA) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CD24 gene. CD24 is a cell adhesion molecule.

Chemoimmunotherapy is chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy. Chemotherapy uses different drugs to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells; immunotherapy uses treatments to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune system to fight cancer. A common chemoimmunotherapy regimen is CHOP combined with rituximab (CHOP-R) for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Programmed cell death protein 1</span> Mammalian protein found in humans

Programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1),. PD-1 is a protein encoded in humans by the PDCD1 gene. PD-1 is a cell surface receptor on T cells and B cells that has a role in regulating the immune system's response to the cells of the human body by down-regulating the immune system and promoting self-tolerance by suppressing T cell inflammatory activity. This prevents autoimmune diseases, but it can also prevent the immune system from killing cancer cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ICOSLG</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

ICOS ligand is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ICOSLG gene located at chromosome 21. ICOSLG has also been designated as CD275.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CD200</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

OX-2 membrane glycoprotein, also named CD200 is a human protein encoded by the CD200 gene. CD200 gene is in human located on chromosome 3 in proximity to genes encoding other B7 proteins CD80/CD86. In mice CD200 gene is on chromosome 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SIGLEC10</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectin 10 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SIGLEC10 gene. Siglec-G is often referred to as the murine paralog of human Siglec-10

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to immunology:

Peptide-based synthetic vaccines are subunit vaccines made from peptides. The peptides mimic the epitopes of the antigen that triggers direct or potent immune responses. Peptide vaccines can not only induce protection against infectious pathogens and non-infectious diseases but also be utilized as therapeutic cancer vaccines, where peptides from tumor-associated antigens are used to induce an effective anti-tumor T-cell response.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immune checkpoint</span> Regulators of the immune system

Immune checkpoints are regulators of the immune system. These pathways are crucial for self-tolerance, which prevents the immune system from attacking cells indiscriminately. However, some cancers can protect themselves from attack by stimulating immune checkpoint targets.

Hua Eleanor Yu is the inaugural Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Professor in tumor immunotherapy at the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California. In addition, she co-leads the Cancer Immunotherapeutics Program at the City of Hope cancer center, with Peter P. Lee. Yu's laboratory was the first to identify STAT3, a protein that helps to protect tumor cells from the immune system. Her group is developing possible drug treatments using CpG-Stat3 siRNA to attack tumor cells in mice and humans.

Daniel A. Portnoy is a microbiologist, the Edward E. Penhoet Distinguished Chair in Global Public Health and Infectious Diseases, and a professor of biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and in the Division of Microbiology in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is one of the world's foremost experts on Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium that causes the severe foodborne illness Listeriosis. He has made seminal contributions to multiple aspects of bacterial pathogenesis, cell biology, innate immunity, and cell mediated immunity using L. monocytogenes as a model system and has helped to push forward the use of attenuated L. monocytogenes as an immunotherapeutic tool in the treatment of cancer.

Julianna Lisziewicz is a Hungarian immunologist. Lisziewicz headed many research teams that have discovered and produced immunotheraputic drugs to treat diseases like cancer and chronic infections like HIV/AIDS. Some of these drugs have been successfully used in clinical trials.

Seung-Yong Seong is a South Korean immunologist and microbiologist known for his study of innate immune system response and his development of the damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) model of immune response initiation in collaboration with Polly Matzinger. Seong is also known for his research on the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi and his research on immunological adjuvant when he was a student. Since 2013 he has served as Director of the Wide River Institute of Immunology – Seoul National University in conjunction with his Professor position in the Microbiology and Immunology department of Seoul National University College of Medicine. In 2012, he became Editor in Chief of the World Journal of Immunology.

The Immune Response Corporation (IRC) was a pharmaceutical company that worked in the development immunotherapeutic products. The firm was founded by Jonas Salk and Kevin Kimberlin when Kimberlin, "asked Salk to become lead scientific advisor for a new biotech company specializing in 'anti-idiotypes,' a novel vaccine technology." Salk called the proposal "liberating."

Peter Edward Fecci is an American neurosurgeon, professor and researcher. He is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Pathology and Immunology at Duke University School of Medicine. He also serves as Director of the Duke Center for Brain and Spine Metastasis, Director of the Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Residency Program Director, and Associate Deputy Director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke.

Bing Li is an immunologist, researcher, and academic. He is an Endowed Professor for Cancer Immunology, a professor of Pathology at the University of Iowa, and the Director of Iowa Cancer and Obesity Initiative. He is also the founder of BMImmune Inc.

References

  1. ↑ "Division Faculty". University of Maryland School of Medicine. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  2. ↑ "2018 Archives | University of Maryland School of Medicine". www.ihv.org. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  3. ↑ "IHV Faculty | University of Maryland School of Medicine". www.ihv.org. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  4. ↑ "OncoImmune | About" . Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  5. ↑ "Yang Liu Ph.D.: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  6. ↑ Liu Y, Janeway CA Jr. Cells that present both specific ligand and costimulatory activity are the most efficient inducers of clonal expansion of normal CD4 T cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992; 89(9):3845-9.
  7. ↑ Chen G, Tang J, Zheng P, Liu Y. CD24 and Siglec-10 selectively repress tissue damage-induced immune responses. Science 2009;323(5922):1722-5.
  8. ↑ Chen, G., Chen, X., King, S. et al. Amelioration of sepsis by inhibiting sialidase-mediated disruption of the CD24-SiglecG interaction. Nat Biotechnol 2011; 29:428–435.
  9. ↑ Liu Y, Chen GY, Zheng P.CD24-Siglec G/10 discriminates danger- from pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Trends Immunol. 2009;30(12):557-61.
  10. ↑ Du X, Tang F, Liu M, et al. A reappraisal of CTLA-4 checkpoint blockade in cancer immunotherapy. Cell Res. 2018;28(4):416-432.
  11. ↑ "2018 Archives | University of Maryland School of Medicine". www.ihv.org. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
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