CIMR-Chuan-Yuan Li

Research Group

Chuan-Yuan Li

chuanli(at)cimrbj.ac.cn

Distinguished Investigator

Cancer Immunotherapy, Cancer Vaccines,

Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors,

mRNA Vaccines for Neurodegenerative Diseases

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chuanli(at)cimrbj.ac.cn

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B.S. in Applied Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, China

Ph.D. in Cancer Biology, Harvard University, USA

Work Experience

2023-Present

Distinguished Investigator and Director, Chinese Institute for Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Beijing, China

2023-Present

Chair Professor, Capital Medical University, China

2011-2023

Vice Chair for Research, Department of Dermatology, Duke University School of Medicine, USA

2011-2023

Professor of Dermatology, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, USA

2006-2011

Professor of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA

1997-2006

Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor in Radiation Biology, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, USA

Honors and Awards

2024

Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

2006

Michael Fry Research Award, Radiation Research Society (RRS)

Research Interests

The Li Lab is long committed to discovering and developing novel therapeutic targets and strategies that synergize with current standard-of-care cancer treatments, including immune checkpoint blockade, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Focusing on cutting-edge translational medicine, lab's core research directions currently encompass: 1) high-throughput genome-wide CRISPR screening to systematically identify novel targets and mechanisms driving cancer resistance and immune evasion; 2) next-generation cell therapy development, specifically tackling solid tumor bottlenecks using advanced CAR-T and TIL platforms; 3) rational design and clinical translation of novel tumor-specific peptide vaccines; and 4) expanding the frontiers of therapeutic mRNA vaccines to explore innovative treatment strategies for chronic infections and neurodegenerative diseases.

Major Contributions

1. Discovery of PCSK9's important role cancer immunotherapy (Nature, 2020)

2. Revealing the unexpected facilitative role of apoptotic factors in carcinogenesis (Molecular Cell, 2015; eLife, 2017)

3. Discovery of Caspase 3 & 7's roles in the "Phoenix Rising" pathway of tissue repair and relapse after therapy (Science Signaling, 2010; Nature Medicine, 2011)

4. Revealing the critical roles of Caspase 3 & 8 in fibroblast reprogramming into iPSC cells (Cell Stem Cell, 2010)

5. Discovery of a novel mechanism of nitric oxide regulation of HIF-1α activity in the tumor microenvironment (Molecular Cell, 2007)

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

Hu M, Pan D, Jiao M, Bao X, Liu X, Li F, Li CY. A noncanonical cytoplasmic role for BUB1 in restraining DNA damage-induced dsRNA accumulation and sensing within stress granules. Science Immunology, 2025, 10: eadq2055. DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adq2055

Hu M*, Zhou M*, Bao X, Pan D, Jiao M, Liu X, Li F, Li CY. ATM inhibition enhances cancer immunotherapy by promoting mtDNA leakage and cGAS/STING activation. Journal of CIinical Investigation, 2021, 131: e139333. DOI: 10.1172/JCI139333

Liu X*, Bao X*, Hu M, Chang H, Jiao M, Cheng J, Xie L, Huang Q, Li F, Li CY. Inhibition of PCSK9 potentiates immune checkpoint therapy for cancer. Nature, 2020, 588: 693-698. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2911-7

Liu X, Li F, Huang Q, Zhang Z, Zhou L, Deng Y, Zhou M, Fleenor DE, Wang H, Kastan MB, Li CY. Self-inflicted DNA double-strand breaks sustain tumorigenicity and stemness of cancer cells. Cell Research, 2017, 27: 764-783. DOI: 10.1038/cr.2017.41

Liu X, He Y, Li F, Huang Q, Kato TA, Hall RP, Li CY. Caspase-3 promotes genetic instability and carcinogenesis. Molecular Cell, 2015, 58: 284-296. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2015.03.003

Liu X, Li F, Stubblefield EA, Blanchard B, Richards TL, Larson GA, He Y, Huang Q, Tan AC, Zhang D, Benke TA, Sladek JR, Zahniser NR, Li CY. Direct reprogramming of human fibroblasts into dopaminergic neuron-like cells. Cell Research, 2012, 22: 321-332. DOI: 10.1038/cr.2011.181

Huang Q, Li F, Liu X, Li W, Shi W, Liu FF, O'Sullivan B, He Z, Peng Y, Tan AC, Zhou L, Shen J, Han G, Wang XJ, Thorburn J, Thorburn A, Jimeno A, Raben D, Bedford JS, Li CY. Caspase 3-mediated stimulation of tumor cell repopulation during cancer radiotherapy. Nature Medicine, 2011, 17: 860-866. DOI: 10.1038/nm.2385

Li F, He Z, Shen J, Huang Q, Li W, Liu X, He Y, Wolf F, Li CY. Apoptotic caspases regulate the induction of iPSCs from human fibroblasts. Cell Stem Cell, 2010, 7: 508-520. DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2010.09.003

Li F, Huang Q, Chen J, Peng Y, Roop DR, Bedford JS, Li CY. Apoptotic cells activate the "phoenix rising" pathway to promote wound healing and tissue regeneration. Science Signaling, 2010, 3: ra13. DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2000634

Li, F., Sonveaux, P., Rabbani, Z., Liu, S., Yan, B., Huang, Q., Vujaskovic, Z., Dewhirst, M.W., and Li, C.Y. Regulation of HIF-1alpha stability through S-nitrosylation. Mol Cell, 2007, 26: 63-74. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2007.02.024