We work on cancer prevention and immunotherapy using tumour-targeted replicating oncolytic viruses, in particular focusing on replicating adenovirus and vaccinia virus.
A systemically deliverable oncolytic Vaccinia virus demonstrates potent anti-tumor efficacy and sensitizes pancreatic cancer to α-PD1. J Immunother Cancer (2021) 9(1):e001624. PMID: 33500259
Transient Inhibition of PI3Kδ Enhances the Therapeutic Effect of Intravenous Delivery of Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus. Mol Ther (2020) 28(5):1263-1275. PMID: 32145202
A Virus-Infected, Reprogrammed Somatic cell-derived Tumor cell (VIReST) regime can prevent initiation and progression of pancreatic cancer. Clin Can Res (2019) 26(2):465. PMID: 31767564
Re-designing Interleukin-12 to enhance its safety and potential as an anti-tumor immunotherapeutic agent. Nature communications (2017) 8(1): 1395. PMID: 29123084
CEACAM6 attenuates adenovirus infection by antagonizing viral trafficking in cancer cells. J Clin Invest (2009) 119(6):1604-15. PMID: 19411761
The major research interest in my group is developing new cancer immunotherapy agents or/and approaches through comprehensive investigations into the interaction of oncolytic viruses, tumour cells, tumour microenvironment and host immune responses.
Our four main research areas of interests are:
A New HEK293 Cell with CR2 Region of E1A Gene Deletion Prevents the Emergence of Replication-Competent Adenovirus Lian X, Zhao X, Zhong J et al. Cancers 15(10) 5713
Oncolytic virus Ad-TD-nsIL-12 inhibits glioma growth and reprograms the tumor immune microenvironment Li S, Guo Y, Ning W et al. Life Sciences (2024) 336(10) 122254
Personalized neoantigen viro-immunotherapy platform for triple-negative breast cancer Baleeiro RB, Liu P, Dunmall LSC et al. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (2023) 11(10) e007336
A novel microenvironment regulated system CAR-T (MRS.CAR-T) for immunotherapeutic treatment of esophageal squamous carcinoma Wang L, Wang X, Wu Y et al. Cancer Letters (2023) 568(10) 216303
Syrian hamster as an ideal animal model for evaluation of cancer immunotherapy Jia Y, Wang Y, Dunmall LSC et al. Frontiers in Immunology 14(10) 1126969
A Novel Microenvironment Regulated System CAR-T (MRS.CAR-T) for Immunotherapeutic Treatment of Esophageal Squamous Carcinoma Wang L, Wu Y, Wang X et al. MOLECULAR THERAPY (2023) 31(11) 645-646
https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:001045144203114&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=612ae0d773dcbdba3046f6df545e9f6a
Modification of the Early Gene Enhancer-promoter Improves the Oncolytic Potency of Adenovirus 11 Wong HH, Jiang G, Gangeswaran R et al. Molecular Therapy (2023) 31(10) 300
Characterization of SHARPIN knockout Syrian hamsters developed using CRISPR/Cas9 system Miao J, Lan T, Guo H et al. Animal Models and Experimental Medicine (2023) 6(10) 489-498
Ferroptosis-Related Genes Are Potential Therapeutic Targets and the Model of These Genes Influences Overall Survival of NSCLC Patients Zhang N, Wu Y, Wu Y et al. Cells 11(10) 2207
Deoxythymidylate Kinase as a Promising Marker for Predicting Prognosis and Immune Cell Infiltration of Pan-cancer Lan T, Wang Y, Miao J et al. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 9(10) 887059
For additional publications, please click herePostdoctoral Researchers
Dr Louisa Chard, Dr Rathi Gangeswaran, Dr Peng Liu, Dr Ming Yuan
Clinical Research Fellows
Dr Lewis Stephen
PhD Students
Ms Zuoyi Zhao, Mr Christian Jacobus Bouwens, Ms Carmela Di Gioia, Ms Elisa Heyrman
Visiting Research Fellows
Ms Lijuan Chen, Ms Yafeng Wang
I qualified in medicine and obtained my PhD in 1997. From 1999 to 2005, I undertook postdoctoral research in molecular biology of cancer as well as cancer viral and genetic therapy at the MRC Toxicology Unit in Leicester University and the Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Unit based at Imperial College London.
I joined the Barts Cancer Institute (formerly Institute of Cancer) on 1st July 2005 as a Lecturer. I was promoted to a senior Lecturer and subsequently Reader in Molecular Oncology in 2007 and 2011, respectively, and became Professor of Cancer Cell and Gene Therapy in 2015.
I established the first Sino-British Research Centre for Molecular Oncology with Prof Nick Lemoine in 2006. The Centre was a joint venture entity between Queen Mary University of London and Zhengzhou University. The Centre was elected as a National Centre for International Research in Cell and Gene Therapy by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China in 2014. I have been appointed as the Director of the Centre since then.
I have been working in cancer virotherapy since 2001 with a substantial track record of publications in prestigious scientific journals such as “Nature Biotechnology”, “The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI)”, “Gut”, and “Nature Communications”, etc.
My long-term research aim is to develop more effective cancer cell and gene therapies based on the genetically engineered oncolytic virus platform, for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human cancer, and advance them into clinical testing.