Jing Hong Wang, M.D., Ph.D.

Jing Hong Wang, M.D., Ph.D.

Contact

Campus: UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Research Pavilion, 5117 Centre Ave

Office: Suite 2.32b

Lab: Suite 2.35

Pittsburgh, PA 15213-1862

Ph: 412-864-7728

jhw51@pitt.edu

Education

  • M.D., Beijing Medical University (now known Peking University Health Science Center), 1996
  • M.S., Ohio State University, 1998
  • Ph.D., University of Chicago, 2004

Academic Affiliation

  • Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology
  • Professor, Department of Immunology
  • Member of Cancer Immunology and Immunotheapy (CII) Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
  • Hillman Fellow for Innovative Cancer Research Program 2021-2022

About Research

We study the mechanisms of tumorigenesis using B-cell lymphoma and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) as models. We employ genetic and immunological approaches to better understand the interplay of cancer and immune system.  Given the evolutionary characteristics of cancer cells manifested as a high level of complexity, flexibility, and heterogeneity, we envision that only the immune system may be able to fight cancers with equal adaptability and specificity.  Our B-cell lymphoma studies focus on elucidating how B-cell intrinsic process that is required for effective humoral immunity may contribute to B-cell lymphomagenesis, why B-cells are so prone to develop lymphomas and how malignant B-cells evade immune surveillance.  Our HNSCC studies focus on elucidating the mechanisms of heterogeneous anti-tumor immune responses, in particular, why certain individuals can eradicate cancers while others succumb to cancer progression, and why different individuals respond differentially to anti-cancer therapy.  The goals of my research program include: (1) define the cellular and molecular mechanisms of immune evasion during cancer development; (2) develop more effective cancer immunotherapy, with a focus on HNSCCs and B cell lymphomas; (3) elucidate the basic mechanisms of antibody gene diversification and B cell lymphomagenesis.

 

Selected Publications

  1. Chen Z and Wang JH. How the signaling crosstalk of B cell receptor (BCR) and co-receptors regulates antibody class switch recombination: a new perspective of checkpoints of BCR signaling. Invited review. Frontiers in Immunology. 2021 Mar 25;12:663443. PMID: 33841447. PMCID: PMC8027318 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.663443
  2. Woolaver RA, Wang X, Krinsky AL, Waschke BC, Chen SMY, Popolizio V, Nicklawsky AG, Gao D, Chen Z, Jimeno A, Wang XJ, Wang JH. Differences in TCR repertoire and T cell activation underlie the divergent outcomes of antitumor immune responses in tumor-eradicating versus tumor-progressing hosts. J Immunother Cancer. 2021 Jan;9(1):e001615. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001615. PMID: 33414263
  3. Wang JH. Why the Outcome of Anti-Tumor Immune Responses is Heterogeneous: A Novel Idea in the Context of Immunological Heterogeneity in Cancers. Bioessays. 2020 Oct;42(10):e2000024. doi: 10.1002/bies.202000024. Epub 2020 Aug 7. PMID: 32767371; PMCID: PMC7546576.
  4. Chen Z*, Krinsky A, Woolaver RA, Wang X, Chen SMY, Popolizio V, Xie P, Wang JH*. TRAF3 Acts as a Checkpoint of B Cell Receptor Signaling to Control Antibody Class Switch Recombination and Anergy. Journal of Immunology. 2020 Aug 1; 205(3):830-841. PMID: 32591397; PMCID: PMC7369235. *co-senior authorship.
  5. Wang X, Waschke BC, Woolaver RA, Chen SMY, Chen Z, Wang JH.  HDAC inhibitors overcome immunotherapy resistance in B-cell lymphoma. Protein & Cell. 2020 Jul;11(7):472-482. doi: 10.1007/s13238-020-00694-x. PMID: 32162275; PMCID: PMC7305292.
  6. Wang X, Waschke BC, Woolaver RA, Chen SMY, Chen Z, Wang JH. MHC Class-I independent activation of virtual-memory CD8 T cells induced by chemotherapeutic agent-treated cancer cells. Cellular & Molecular Immunology. 2020 May 19. PMID: 32427883.
  7. Chen SMY, Krinsky AL, Woolaver RA, Wang X, Chen Z, Wang JH. Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Head and Neck Cancers. Molecular Carcinogenesis. 2020 Jul;59(7):766-774. doi: 10.1002/mc.23162. Epub 2020 Feb 3. PMID: 32017286; PMCID: PMC7282929.
  8. Wang X, Waschke BC, Woolaver RA, Chen Z, Zhang G, Piscopio AD, Liu X, Wang JH. Histone-deacetylase inhibition sensitizes PD1 blockade–resistant B-cell lymphomas. Cancer Immunology Research. 2019 Aug;7(8):1318-1331. PMID: 31235619.
  9. Mishra AK, Kadoishi T, Wang X, Driver E, Chen Z, Wang XJ, Wang JH (2016). Squamous Cell Carcinomas Escape Immune Surveillance via Inducing Chronic Activation and Exhaustion of CD8+ T Cells co-expressing PD-1 and LAG-3 Inhibitory Receptors. Oncotarget, Vol. 7, (No. 49), pp: 81341-81356. PMCID: PMC5340255.
  10. Yeap LS, Hwang J K, Du Z, Meyers RM, Meng FL, Jakubauskait A, Liu M, Mani V, Neuberg D, Kepler TB, Wang JH*, and Alt FW*. Sequence-Intrinsic Mechanisms that Target AID Mutational Outcomes on Antibody Genes. Cell. 2015 Nov 19;163(5): 1124-1137. PMID: 26582132; PMCID: PMC4751889. *co-senior authorship. (Leading Edge Previews published in Cell. Murre C.A. Common Mechanism that Underpins Antibody Diversification. Cell. 2015 Nov 19;163(5):1055-1056. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.10.075. PMID: 26590414).

URL link to list of all publications (PubMed/Google Scholar/etc.):

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Research Interests

  • Cancer Immunology, Cancer Immunotherapy, Antibody Gene Diversification

Lab Information

Our lab is in Hillman Cancer Center (Shadyside Campus). We actively collaborate with physician scientists and clinicians to discover mechanisms and develop new treatments for cancers. We welcome rotation student and postdoc inquiries.