About us

News of the lab:

  • We have successfully performed a genome-wide “gain-of-function” CRISPR screening to identify master regulator lncRNAs in tumor immunology. The paper is now available on Sicence Advances. Congratulations to the first authors Yifei Wang, Yueshan Zhao, and Weiwei Guo.
  • Dr. Yang served as multiple roles in grant review study sections, including as Chair for a DoD BCRP study section and as ad hoc reviewer for NIH CG and GCAT study sections!
  • Our lncRNA tumor immunology paper has been published on Science Advances. Congratulations to first authors Weiwei Guo, Yue Wang, and Min Yang!
  • Dr. Da Yang received a new R01 from NCI to study lncRNA and Drug Metabolism and Disposition!
  • Dr. Dhamotharan Pattarayan has joined the lab as a postdoctoral fellow scientist. Dhamo will work on our tumor immunology project.

About the Yang Lab

Da Yang, MD, PhD

Our lab studies cancer pharmacogenomics by integrating bioinformatics and experimental tools. We are specifically focused on identifying novel disease-driving none-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), modeling ncRNA down-stream regulatory network, and characterizing ncRNAs’ function in cancer therapy using in vivo and in vitro cancer models. Our integrative strategy has led to the discovery of novel RNA genes that serve as master regulators of drug resistance in ovarian and breast cancers by regulating EMT (Cancer Cell, 2013) and DNA repair pathway (JNCI, 2015; JAMA, 2011; Theranostics, 2020a). We have successfully built and identified key RNA-targets regulatory network for cancer metastasis and drug resistance (Clin Cancer Res, 2014 and PNAS, 2015; Theranostics, 2020b). Recently, we performed an integrated analysis of the lncRNA-drug interaction landscape and cloned a novel intergenic lncRNA gene that promotes breast cancer tumorigenesis through inhibiting tumor immune response  (Cancer Cell, 2018; Nat Commun, 2018; Science Advances, 2020; Science Advances, 2022). 

  1. Yifei Wang* , Yueshan Zhao* , Weiwei Guo* , Ghanshyam Singh Yadav , Chetana Bhaskarla, et. al., Binfeng Lu , Udai S Kammula, Min Zhang# , Da Yang#. Genome-wide gain-of-function screening characterized lncRNA regulators for tumor immune response, Sci Adv. 2022 Dec 9;8(49):eadd0005.
  2. Guo, W., Wang, Y., Yang, M., Wang, Z., Wang, Y., Chaurasia, S., Wu, Z., Zhang, M., Yadav, G., Rathod, S., et al., Yang D#. LincRNA-immunity landscape analysis identifies EPIC1 as a regulator of tumor immune evasion by inhibiting IFN-γ-JAK-STAT1 signaling and antigen presentation. Science Advances. 2021 Feb 10;7(7):eabb3555. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abb3555. Print 2021 Feb.
  3. Wang Y, Wang Z, Xu J, Li J, Li S, Zhang M#, Yang D#. Systematic Identification of Non-coding Pharmacogenomic Landscape in Cancer, Nat Commun, 2018 Aug 9;9(1):3192. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-05495-9.
  4. Wang Z, Yang B, Zhang M, Guo W, Wu Z, Jia L, Wang Y, Li S, Xie W, Yang D#. LncRNA epigenetic landscape analysis identifies EPIC1 as an oncogenic lncRNA that interacts with MYC and promotes cell cycle progression in cancer, Cancer Cell. 2018 Apr 9;33(4):706-720.e9. PMID: 29622465
  5. Gu Y, Wang R, Han Y, Zhou W, Zhao Z, Chen T, Zhang Y, Peng F, Liang H, Qi L, Zhao W, Yang D#, Guo Z#, A landscape of synthetic viable interactions in cancer, Brief Bioinform. 2017 Jan 17. pii: bbw142. doi: 10.1093/bib/bbw142. PMID: 28096076
  6. Zhang M, Liu G, Xue F, Edwards R, Sood A, Zhang, W, Yang D#, Copy number deletion of RAD50 as a predictive marker of BRCAness and PARP inhibitor response in BRCA wild-type ovarian cancer, Gynecol Oncol.2016 Apr;141(1):57-64. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2016.01.004.
  7. Yang D*, Khan S*, Sun Y, Hess K, Shmulevich I, Sood AK, Zhang W. Association of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations with survival, chemotherapy sensitivity, and gene mutator phenotype in patients with ovarian cancer. JAMA. 2011 Oct 12;306(14):1557-65. PubMed PMID: 21990299; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4159096.
  8. Yang D*, Sun Y*, Hu L*, Zheng H, Ji P, Pecot CV, Zhao Y, Reynolds S, Cheng H, Rupaimoole R, Cogdell D, Nykter M, Broaddus R, Rodriguez-Aguayo C, Lopez-Berestein G, Liu J, Shmulevich I, Sood AK, Chen K, Zhang W. Integrated analyses identify a master microRNA regulatory network for the mesenchymal subtype in serous ovarian cancer. Cancer Cell. 2013 Feb 11;23(2):186-99. PubMed PMID: 23410973; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3603369.
  9. Song F*, Yang D*, Liu B*, Guo Y, Zheng H, Li L, Wang T, Yu J, Zhao Y, Niu R, Liang H, Winkler H, Zhang W, Hao X, Chen K. Integrated microRNA network analyses identify a poor-prognosis subtype of gastric cancer characterized by the miR-200 family. Clin Cancer Res. 2014 Feb 15;20(4):878-89. PubMed PMID: 24352645. (*: equal contributions)
  10. Chen K*, Yang D*, Li X*, Sun B, Song F, Cao W, Brat DJ, Gao Z, Li H, Liang H, Zhao Y, Zheng H, Li M, Buckner J, Patterson SD, Ye X, Reinhard C, Bhathena A, Joshi D, Mischel PS, Croce CM, Wang YM, Raghavakaimal S, Li H, Lu X, Pan Y, Chang H, Ba S, Luo L, Cavenee WK, Zhang W, Hao X. Mutational landscape of gastric adenocarcinoma in Chinese: implications for prognosis and therapy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jan 27;112(4):1107-12. PubMed PMID: 25583476; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4313862. (*: equal contributions)