Dr. Xin Lu University of Notre Dame, USA

Dr. Xin Lu is John M. and Mary Jo Boler Associate Professor in Department of Biological Sciences at University of Notre Dame and a full member of Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Lu received BA in Biology from Tsinghua University in 2004 and PhD in Molecular Biology from... read morePrinceton University (mentor: Yibin Kang) in 2010. His postdoctoral research was conducted with Dr. Ronald DePinho at MD Anderson Cancer Center (2011-2016). Dr. Lu’s laboratory is focused on identifying cancer cell intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of tumor escape of immune surveillance, particularly in metastatic prostate cancer and breast cancer. Recent publications from Lu lab firmly establish that immunosuppressive myeloid cells, especially those of the granulocytic lineage, play the predominant role in inducing the exhaustion of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the prostate tumor microenvironment. A number of mechanisms and targeting strategies of myeloid-elicited immunosuppression have been reported by the Lu lab, which may open new avenues to sensitize advanced prostate cancer to immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Dr. Lu also investigates therapeutic agents targeting newly identified targets in prostate cancer, breast cancer and rare cancers (e.g. penile squamous cell carcinoma). Dr. Lu’s research at Notre Dame is supported by federal and foundation funding agencies, such as NIH/NCI, Department of Defense, Susan G. Komen Foundation, American Institute for Cancer Research, Elsa U. Pardee Foundation, Mary Kay Foundation, and others.