Biography
Dr. Yan is an endowed Chair Professor and Chief in the Division of Immunotherapy, Department of Surgery, and the Director of the Immuno-Oncology Program at the Brown Cancer Center (BCC), University of Louisville. He also leads the Center for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy (CCII) CoBRE. Dr. Yan has been working on tumor immunotherapy and tumor immunobiology for more than two decades and has been continuously funded by the NIH/NCI since 2004. His research program spans both basic and translational studies in cancer immunology and inflammation, with a specific focus on mechanisms of immune regulation. In recent years, he has expanded his work to include more in-depth mechanistic studies on the tumor microenvironment (TME), with particular attention to immune cell subsets that promote tumor progression and metastasis. A key emerging direction in his laboratory is the development of innovative therapeutic strategies, including the induction of trained immunity using natural compounds such as beta-glucan. Dr. Yan has published more than 180 peer-reviewed papers, including article in leading journals such as Nature Immunology, Cell Metabolism, and Immunity, and has a Google Scholar H-index of 80. He has been named as a highly cited researcher by Clarivate, underscoring the broad recognition and global impact of his scientific contribution. His research is currently supported by three NIH R01 grants and an award from the American Cancer Society.
Research Interests
Dr. Yan’s major research interests center on elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which yeast-derived polysaccharide β-glucan modulates immunosuppressive myeloid cells to enhance antitumor immunotherapy, using both mouse tumor models and human cancer specimens. His laboratory has also identified γδ T cells as a major cellular source of the inflammatory cytokine IL-17 in psoriatic skin lesions and in human colon cancer. This line of investigation focuses on the roles of innate γδ T cells in health and disease, with particular interest in γδT17 cell development, metabolism, and the signaling pathways governing their activation and function. A third major research area in Dr. Yan’s laboratory examines the role of B cells in regulating autoreactive T cell activation and tolerance, using both a murine systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) model and human lung cancer samples. Their studies explore the B cell repertoire and how T–B cell interactions in cancer shape antitumor T cell responses. Knowledge gained from these integrated research programs has facilitated the development of effective vaccine strategies for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Degrees and Certifications
Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine