Zeyu Xiong, a senior scientist in Lee’s laboratory. Research interest in host defense in acute respiratory bacterial infection. Infection occurs frequently in patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and causes considerable morbidity, mortality, and costs. Dr. Zeyu helped establish and characterize acute bacterial lung infection models using genetically manipulated mice, and have worked with Dr. Lee in building a repertoire of biochemical and immunological assays to study host defense in the lungs. He also extended work to include human phagocytes and have utilized transcriptomic analysis to better characterize the macrophage response to microbial triggers.
Currently he works on establishing organoid culture to elucidate matrix components contributing to inflammation formation and resolution. He put a great effort to explore new territories for Lee’s laboratory.
His previous work includes contribution of mononuclear phagocytes and macrophages that express the chemokine receptor CX3CR1 in producing inflammatory cytokines in the lungs following cigarette smoke exposure; characterization of elements of the red cell storage lesion and its potential implications within the host, particularly in the context of inflammation, as well as the mechanism for immune suppression during infection; Identification of unconventional tumor related antigens in polycythemia vera, and a novel translation mechanism through an internal ribosome entry site to elicit antitumor humoral immune reactions; regulation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway in T cells for tumor development.