CIMR-Qing Deng

Research Group

Qing Deng

qdeng(at)cimrbj.ac.cn

Assistant Investigator

B-Cell Fate and Plasticity, Epigenetic Circuitry,

Immune Reprogramming, Immune Therapy

qdeng(at)cimrbj.ac.cn

B.S. in Biotechnology, Soochow University, China

Ph.D. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China

Work Experience

2025-Present

Assistant Investigator, Chinese Institute for Immunology, Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Beijing, China

2017-2024

Research Scientist/Instructor, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas, USA

2014-2017

Postdoctoral Associate, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, USA

2009-2014

Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Honors and Awards

2021

Excellence in Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

2016

First Prize, Natural Science Award, Outstanding Scientific Research Achievements Award (Higher Education Institutions), Ministry of Education of China

Research Interests

The Deng laboratory at CIMR seeks to decode the epigenetic circuitry that governs B-cell fate and function. The lab's research integrates immunology, chromatin biology, and translational medicine to uncover how gene-regulatory programs shape protective immunity, autoimmunity, and malignant transformation. By defining the molecular logic underlying B-cell plasticity, the lab aims to establish new paradigms for immune reprogramming and develop transformative therapies for lymphoma, autoimmune disease, and other immune-mediated disorders.

Major Contributions

1. Identified mutated genes of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex and its molecular mechanisms regulating on malignant characteristics and fate determination of tumor cells (Cancer Cell, 2024; Nature Genetics, 2012).

2. Revealed cellular and molecular features that associated with efficacy and toxicity of CD19 CAR-T cell therapy in relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (Nature Medicine, 2020; Cell Reports Medicine, 2023; Cancer Cell, 2023; Blood Advances, 2023).

3. Characterized the tumor microenvironment across different subtypes of B-cell lymphoma, with a specific focus on identifying biological features associated with tumor cell mutations, and antigen presentation mechanisms (Blood Cancer Discovery, 2022), as well as response to CD19 CAR-T cell therapy (Cancer Cell, Under Review).

Representative Publications *：Co-first author; #：Co-corresponding author

Deng Q*, Lakra P*, Gou P*, Yang H, Meydan C, Teater M, Chin CR, Li X, Rojas-Neira E, Liu W, Reville P, Kizhakeyli A, Parsons S, Wilson A, Herderson J, Scull B, Gurumurthy G, Vega F, Chadburn A, Cuglievan B, El-Mallawany N, Allen C, Mason CE, Melnick A, Green MR. Smarca4 is a haploinsufficient B-cell tumor suppressor that fine-tunes centrocyte cell fate decisions. Cancer Cell, 2024, 42: 605-622.e11. DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.02.011

Strati P*, Li X*, Deng Q*, Marques-Piubelli M, Henderson J, Balada G, Deaton L, Cain T, Yang H, Ravanmehr V, Fayad L, Iyer S, Nastoupil L, Hagemeister F, Fowler N, Westin J, Steiner R, Nair R, Flowers C, Wang L, Ahmed S, Al-Atrash G, Vega F, Neelapu S#, Green MR#. Prolonged cytopenia following CD19 CAR T cell therapy is linked with bone marrow infiltration of clonally expanded IFNγ-expressing CD8 T cells. Cell Reports Medicine, 2023, 4: 101158. DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101158

Han G*, Deng Q*, Marques-Piubelli ML, Dai E, Dang M, Ma MCJ, Li X, Yang H, Henderson J, Kudryashova O, Meerson M, Isaev S, Kotlov N, Nomie KJ, Bagaev A, Parra ER, Solis Soto LM, Parmar S, Hagemeister FB, Ahmed S, Iyer SP, Samaniego F, Steiner R, Fayad L, Lee H, Fowler NH, Flowers CR, Strati P, Westin JR, Neelapu SS, Nastoupil LJ, Vega F, Wang L#, Green MR#. Follicular lymphoma microenvironment characteristics associated with tumor cell mutations and MHC class II expression. Blood Cancer Discovery, 2022, 3: 428-443. DOI: 10.1158/2643-3230.BCD-21-0075

Li X, Henderson J, Gordon M, Sheikh I, Nastoupil L, Westin J, Flowers C, Ahmed S, Wang L, Neelapu S, Strati P, Deng Q#, Green MR#. A single-cell atlas of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells. Cancer Cell, 2023, 41: 1835-1837. DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.08.015

Deng Q*, Han G*, Puebla-Osorio N, Ma M, Strati P, Chasen B, Jain N, Yang H, Wang Y, Zhang S, Wang R, Chen R, Showell J, Ghosh S, Patchva S, Zhang Q, Dai E, Hagemeister F, Fayad L, Saminiego F, Lee H, Nastoupil L, Fowler N, Davis R, Westin J, Neelapu S#, Wang L#, Green MR#. Characteristics of anti-CD19 CAR T-cell infusion products associated with efficacy and toxicity in patients with large B-cell lymphomas. Nature Medicine, 2020, 26: 1878-1887. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-1061-7

Full List of Publications Can Be Found Here