Biography
Ying Zhang, Ph.D., joined School of Life Sciences at Peking University and the Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences as a Principle Investigator in 2022. Dr. Zhang received her Ph.D. in Biomedicine from Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania in 2016. From 2016-2021, Dr. Zhang was a postdoc fellow in the lab of Dr. Judy Lieberman at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and she was promoted to instructor at Harvard Medical School in 2021. Dr. Zhang’s long-term research interests focus on cancer immunology and immunotherapy. She has published original studies in the field of cancer vaccines, cancer immunometabolism, inflammatory cell death, and cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Ying Zhang was a recipient of the Cancer Research Institute Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2018 and the U.S. Army Department of Defense Breast Cancer Breakthrough Award in 2019. In 2021, Dr. Ying Zhang received the National Institute of Health (NIH)/National Cancer Institute (NCI) K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, one of the highest awards given by NIH to outstanding young scientists. A major focus of the Zhang laboratory is to study how inflammatory cell death modulates antitumor immunity and to develop novel strategies to promote inflammatory cancer cell death, with the goal to efficiently enhancing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Pore-forming protein Gasdermins (GSDMs) are the major executor of pyroptosis. Dr. Zhang’s laboratory is also interested in understanding the novel biological functions of GSDM proteins in tumors.
Education
2009.09-2016.08， Ph.D.，Biomedicine，University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
2005.09-2009.06， B.S.，Biological Sciences，Nankai University
Professional Experience
2022.07-Present， Assistant Professor， Peking University School of Life Sciences
2022.07-Present， Principle Investigator， Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences
2021.02-2022.06， Instructor， Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School
2016.11-2021.02， Postdoctoral Fellow， Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Honors and Awards
Outstanding Class Advisor of Peking University，2024
Peking University Boya Young Scholar， 2023
Bayer Investigator， 2022
Yi Fang Investigator， 2022
National Institute of Health/National Cancer Institute, K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award， 2021
U.S. Army Department of Defense Breast Cancer Breakthrough Award， 2019
Cancer Research Institute Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship， 2018
President Gutmann Leadership Award， 2016
American Association for Cancer Research Scholar-in-Training Award， 2014
The immune system maintains tissue homeostasis and protects the host from disease by sensing pathogens, tissue damage, and tumor-associated danger signals, and by coordinating innate and adaptive immune responses. Although cancer immunotherapy has achieved remarkable clinical success in recent years, most solid tumors remain poorly responsive because of limited immunogenicity, insufficient T-cell infiltration, and the development of immunosuppressive microenvironments. In addition, immune dysregulation and chronic inflammation are major drivers of a wide range of human diseases. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern immune responses and developing new strategies for immune intervention therefore represent important frontiers in modern immunology and biomedicine.
Our laboratory studies the mechanisms underlying tumor immunity and inflammatory regulation. Our previous work demonstrated that Gasdermin (GSDM) family proteins, key mediators of inflammatory cell death, not only directly eliminate tumor cells but also enhance tumor immunogenicity and stimulate antitumor immune responses. We were the first to show that granzyme B released by cytotoxic lymphocytes directly activates GSDME, triggering inflammatory tumor cell death and promoting antitumor immunity. These findings established an important link between cell death and immune activation and provided a conceptual framework for the development of novel cancer immunotherapies. Building on this foundation, our research focuses on the interactions among tumors, the immune system, and inflammatory responses, with particular emphasis on the molecular mechanisms that regulate tumor immunogenicity, innate immune activation, and T-cell-mediated antitumor immunity, as well as the identification of new therapeutic targets for cancer and inflammatory diseases.
Main research areas include:
1. Tumor Immunogenicity and Antitumor Immunity
We investigate the interactions between tumor cells and the immune system, with the goal of identifying key mechanisms that regulate tumor immunogenicity, antigen presentation, immune activation, and responses to immunotherapy. Our ultimate objective is to develop strategies that enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.
2. Innate Immune Signaling and Inflammatory Regulation
We study how cells sense danger signals and initiate immune responses, and seek to define the signaling networks that govern inflammation and immune activation. These studies provide a foundation for the discovery of new targets for immunotherapy.
3. Molecular Regulation of T-cell-Mediated Antitumor Immunity
We investigate the mechanisms that control T-cell activation, effector differentiation, tissue infiltration, and functional maintenance, and explore approaches to enhance T-cell-mediated antitumor activity for cancer immunotherapy and cell-based therapies.
4. Cellular Stress, Cell Fate, and Immune Regulation
We study how cellular stress responses and cell fate decisions influence immune function and disease progression, and explore their roles in cancer and inflammatory disorders as potential therapeutic targets.
5. Immune Regulation in Tumor Metastasis and Disease Progression
We investigate how inflammatory responses and immune regulatory networks contribute to tumor metastasis and disease progression, with the aim of identifying strategies to limit metastatic dissemination and improve disease outcomes.
6. Immune Mechanisms and Translational Research in Inflammatory Diseases
Using chronic inflammatory disorders such as periodontitis as model systems, we study the mechanisms underlying immune dysregulation, tissue damage, and tissue repair, and seek to identify new therapeutic targets and translational opportunities.
Our laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach integrating immunology, cell biology, molecular biology, multi-omics technologies, animal models, and clinical samples to uncover fundamental mechanisms of immune regulation and facilitate the translation of basic discoveries into improved therapies for cancer and inflammatory diseases.
Zhang, Z†., Zhang, Y†. & Lieberman, J†. Innate immunity in tumour immunoediting and immunosurveillance. The EMBO Journal ( (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44318-025-00650-7. †Corresponding Author.
Cheng L and Zhang Y†. Cell death, IL-1 cytokines, and tumor progression, Cancer Cell (2025) May 12;43(5):817-819. †Corresponding Author.
Cheng L, Wang Y, Zhang Y†. Dying to survive: harnessing inflammatory cell death for better immunotherapy. Trends in Cancer. 2025 Feb 21:S2405-8033(25)00013-5. †Corresponding Author.
Zhang Y*†, Yeganeh PN*, Zhang HW, Wang SY, Li ZYH, Gu BW, Lee DJ, Zhang ZB, Ploumakis A, Shi M, Wu H, Greer EL, Hide W†, Lieberman J†. Tumor editing suppresses innate and adaptive antitumor immunity and is reversed by inhibiting DNA methylation. Nature Immunology. 2024 Oct;25(10):1858-1870. *Co-first Author, †Corresponding Author.
Fontana, P*, Du. G*, Zhang, Y*, Zhang HW*, Vora SM, Hu JJ, Shi M, Tufan AB, Healy LB, Xia SY, Lee DJ, Li ZYH, Flores PB, Ru H, Luo HR, Agudo J, Lieberman J, Wu H. Small molecule GSDMD agonism in tumors stimulates antitumor immunity without toxicity. Cell. 2024 October; 187:1-17. *Co-first Author.
Zhang Y, Xie X, Yeganeh PN, Lee DJ, Valle-Garcia D, Meza-Sosa KF, Junqueira C, Su J, Luo H, Hide W, Lieberman J. Immunotherapy for breast cancer using EpCAM aptamer tumor-targeted gene knockdown. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2021 March; 118(9): e2022830118.
Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Judy Lieberman. Lighting a Fire: Can We Harness Pyroptosis to Ignite Antitumor Immunity? Cancer Immunology Research. 2021; 9 (1) 2-7.
Zhang Z*, Zhang Y*, Xia S, Kong Q, Li S, Liu X, Junqueira C, Meza-Sosa KF, Mok TMY, Ansara J, Sengupta S, Yao Y, Wu H, Lieberman J. Gasdermin E suppresses tumour growth by activating anti-tumour immunity. Nature. 2020 Mar;579(7799):415-420 *Co-first Author with Equal Contribution.
Research Highlighted by:
Nature Reviews Immunology. 2020 May;20(5):274-275. doi: 10.1038/s41577-020-0297-2.
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 2020 May;19(5):309. doi: 10.1038/d41573-020-00062-8.
Science. 2020 May 29;368(6494):943-944. doi: 10.1126/science.abc2502.
Science Signaling. 2020 March; 13(624). doi: 10,1038/d41573-020-00062-8.
Signal Transduction Targeted Therapy. 2020 May 13;5(1):69. doi: 10.1038/s41392-020-0180-4.
Hu JJ, Liu X, Xia S, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Zhao J, Ruan J, Luo X, Lou X, Bai Y, Wang J, Hollingsworth LR, Magupalli VG, Zhao L, Luo HR, Kim J, Lieberman J, Wu H. FDA-approved disulfiram inhibits pyroptosis by blocking gasdermin D pore formation. Nature Immunology. 2020 Jul;21(7):736-745.
Zhang Y, Kurupati R, Liu L Zhou XY, Zhang G, Hudaihed A, Filisio F, Giles-Davies W, Xu W, Karakousis GC, Schuchter LM, Xu W, Amaravadi R, Xiao M, Sadek N, Krepler C, Herlyn M, Freeman GJ, Rabinowitz J, Ertl HC. Enhancing CD8+ T cell fatty acid catabolism within a metabolically challenging tumor microenvironment increases the efficacy of melanoma immunotherapy. Cancer Cell. 2017 Sept; 32(3):377-391.e9.
Research Highlighted by:
Nature Reviews Cancer. 2017 Nov;17(11):635. doi:10.1038/nrc.2017.94.
Cancer Cell. 2017 Sep; 32(3):280-281. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.08.013.
Cancer Discovery. 2017 Nov; 7(11):1213. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-RW2017-182.
Zhang Y, Ertl HC. Aging: T cell metabolism within tumors. Aging. 2016 Jun; 8(6):1163-4.
Zhang Y, Ertl HC. Depletion of FAP+ cells reduces immunosuppressive cells and improves metabolism and functions CD8+T cells within tumors. Oncotarget. 2016; 7(17): 23282-23299.
Zhang Y, Ertl HC. Starved and asphyxiated: how can CD8+T cells within a tumor microenvironment prevent tumor progression. Frontiers in Immunology. 2016;7(32).
Zhang Y, Ertl HC. The effect of adjuvanting cancer vaccines with herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D on Melanoma-Driven CD8+T cell exhaustion. Journal of Immunology. 2014; 193(4): 1836-1846.
Meza-Sosa KF, Miao R, Navarro F, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Hu JJ, Hartford C, Li X, Pedraza-Alva G, Pérez-Martínez L, Lal A, Wu H, Lieberman J. SPARCLE, a p53-induced lncRNA, controls apoptosis after genotoxic stress by promoting PARP-1 cleavage. Molecular Cell. 2022, 82(4): 785-802.
Vora SM, Fontana P, Mao T, Leger V, Zhang Y, Fu TM, Lieberman J, Gehrke L, Shi M, Wang LF, Iwasaki A, Wu H. Targeting Stem-loop 1 of the SARS-CoV-2 5’UTR to suppress viral translation and Nsp1 evasion. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2022, 119(9): e2117198119.
