Education

1986-1990    Ph.D. Student, Department of Microbiology and Immunology (Dr. Diana M. Lopez), University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL

1978-1983    Medical Student, Shanghai Medical University .

Academic Experience

2021- Present         Tsinghua University endowed Professor, Tsinghua University, Beijing;

2015-2021              Mary Nell and Ralph B. Rogers Professorship, UT Southwestern, Dallas;

2015 - Present        Professor of Pathology and Immunology, UT Southwestern, Dallas (Adjuvant since 2021)

1998-2015              Attending Physician, Blood Bank/Transfusion Medicine, University of Chicago.

2005 - Present        Tenured Professor, Dept. of Pathology (Direct Promotion);

1994-1998              Resident, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Dept. of Pathology, Washington University (Research Mentor: David Chaplin).

1991-1993        Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Infectious Disease (Dr. Willi Born), Department of Medicine, National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Denver.

Overview of Academic Research

Professor Yang-Xin Fu has made great innovations in clinical and basic medical research, and has published more than 260 high-level academic research papers in top academic journals in the fields of Science, Nature, Nature Medicine, etc., with more than 45000 citations and an H-index of <111>, and has been selected as a highly cited scientist, becoming one of the few doctors and scientists who have achieved outstanding results in both medicine and basic scientific research. He is particularly prestigious and influential in the field of tumor immunology, and is a pioneer in the study of immune cells and molecular mechanisms by drugs, radiotherapy and targeted therapies. In recent years, he has presided over the development of a new generation of bispecific antibodies, fusion proteins, cytokine prodrugs and antibody prodrugs for tumor immunotherapy, studied the regulatory mechanism of targeted drugs, local radiation, tumor targeted antibodies on the tumor microenvironment, immune system, and developed new strategies for immune synergistic therapy, many of which have been applied to clinical trials at different stages, showing great application prospects and value.

Major Honor and Awards

1991 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship for Physician Scientists

1996 Young Investigator Award, ACLPS

1997 Young Investigator Award, ACLPS

1997 Clinical Investigator Award (K08), NIAID

1999 NMSS Awardee

2005 Guest Professor and adviser in Chinese Academy of Sciences

2015 Endowed Professor in U of Chicago and UTSW

2015 Senior Investigator Award in CPRIT

Representative Research Achievements 

1.Ren Z, Zhang A, Sun Z, Liang Y, Ye J, Qiao J, Li B, Fu YX. Selective delivery of low-affinity IL-2 to PD-1+ T cells rejuvenates antitumor immunity with reduced toxicity. J Clin Invest. 2022 Feb 1;132(3):e153604.

2. Xue D, Moon B, Liao J, Guo J, Zou Z, Han Y, Cao S, Wang Y, Fu YX, Peng H. A tumor-specific pro-IL-12 activates preexisting cytotoxic T cells to control established tumors. Sci Immunol. 2022 Jan 7;7(67):eabi6899.

3. Liu L, Chen J, Bae J, Li H, Sun Z, Moore C, Hsu E, Han C, Qiao J, Fu YX. Rejuvenation of tumour-specific T cells through bispecific antibodies targeting PD-L1 on dendritic cells. Nat Biomed Eng. 2021 Nov;5(11):1261-1273.

4. Cao X, Liang Y, Hu Z, Li H, Yang J, Hsu EJ, Zhu J, Zhou J, Fu YX. Next generation of tumor-activating type I IFN enhances anti-tumor immune responses to overcome therapy resistance. Nat Commun. 2021 Oct 7;12(1):5866.

5. Guo J, Liang Y, Xue D, Shen J, Cai Y, Zhu J, Fu YX, Peng H. Tumor-conditional IL-15 pro-cytokine reactivates anti-tumor immunity with limited toxicity. Cell Res. 2021 Nov;31(11):1190-1198.

6. Zhang A, Ren Z, Tseng KF, Liu X, Li H, Lu C, Cai Y, Minna JD, Fu YX. Dual targeting of CTLA-4 and CD47 on Treg cells promotes immunity against solid tumors. Sci Transl Med. 2021 Aug 4;13(605):eabg8693.

7. Hsu EJ, Cao X, Moon B, Bae J, Sun Z, Liu Z, Fu YX. A cytokine receptor-masked IL2 prodrug selectively activates tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes for potent antitumor therapy. Nat Commun. 2021 May 13;12(1):2768.

8. Han C, Godfrey V, Liu Z, Han Y, Liu L, Peng H, Weichselbaum RR, Zaki H, Fu YX. The AIM2 and NLRP3 inflammasomes trigger IL-1-mediated antitumor effects during radiation. Sci Immunol. 2021 May 7;6(59):eabc6998.

9. Guan J, Lu C, Jin Q, Lu H, Chen X, Tian L, Zhang Y, Ortega J, Zhang J, Siteni S, Chen M, Gu L, Shay JW, Davis AJ, Chen ZJ, Fu YX, Li GM. MLH1 Deficiency-Triggered DNA Hyperexcision by Exonuclease 1 Activates the cGAS-STING Pathway. Cancer Cell. 2021 Jan 11;39(1):109-121.

10. Lu C, Guan J, Lu S, Jin Q, Rousseau B, Lu T, Stephens D, Zhang H, Zhu J, Yang M, Ren Z, Liang Y, Liu Z, Han C, Liu L, Cao X, Zhang A, Qiao J, Batten K, Chen M, Castrillon DH, Wang T, Li B, Diaz LA Jr, Li GM, Fu YX. DNA Sensing in Mismatch Repair-Deficient Tumor Cells Is Essential for Anti-tumor Immunity. Cancer Cell. 2021 Jan 11;39(1):96-108.