Dr. Wei-Qiang Gao is the KC Wong Endowed Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Med-X Research Institute, Director of Renji Hospital Stem Cell Research Center, past Dean of School of Biomedical Engineering and past Director of State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His primary research interests are in precision medicine (cancer research, immunoncology, stem cells and regenerative medicine). He is also interested in translational medicine for treatment of various types of cancers and other diseases.

Dr. Wei-Qiang Gao received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1989 and did his post-doctoral research at Columbia University and the Rockefeller University. From 1993-2010. He was a Scientist, Senior Scientist and Group/Project Leader at Genentech, Inc.. Dr. Gao has made important contributions to the fields of neuroscience, stem cells and tumorigenesis. In early 1990’s, he made important contributions to the mechanisms of cerebellar granule neuronal differentiation. His group then pioneered research on development and regeneration of inner ear hair cells at Genentech and changed the traditional view that mammalian inner ear hair cells cannot regenerate. He was invited to speak at the Nobel Conference “To Restore Hearing” organized by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden in 2002. More recently, his group also works on “cancer research and cancer stem cells”. Dr. Gao has published more than 120 papers as either corresponding or the first author, including Nature, Cell, Science, Neuron, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Communications, Cell Research, Gastroenterology, PNAS, J. Neurosci., etc. and has been granted 48 US patents and 3 China patents. He is a scholar of “National Talents Program”, the Chief Scientist of 2 program projects from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and 2 key grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He has served as a reviewer for grant proposals of Wellcome Trust in UK, NIH in US, and NSFC and 36 journals including Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Reviews Oncology, Nature Communications, Cancer Cells, Cell Reports, PNAS, J. Neurosci., etc..

1983.8-1989.8  Ph.D., Columbia University, New York

1982.8-1983.8,  M.S. candidate, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai

1978.2-1982.1  B.S.   Nanjing University, Nanjing

2020.7-present, Dean and Chair Professor, Med-X Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ.

2015.1-2020.5, Dean of Biomedical Engineering School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

2014.1-2019.8, Director of State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes

2010.7-present, Direct of Shanghai Renji Hospital Stem Cell Research Center

1993.5-2010.6, Scientist, Senior Scientist at Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco

1992.10-1993.5, Research Associate at the Rockefeller University, New York

1989.9-1992.9, Post-doc research Scientist at Columbia University, College of P & S, New York

1989.5-1989.8, Post-doc fellow, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York

1982.2-1982.8, Research Assistant, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing

Precision Medicine (cancer research, immunoncology, stem cells and regenerative medicine), Translational Medicine

Honored Student of “Chinese and U.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Examination and Application (CUSBEA)” Program, Class 1983.

The Charles A. Huebschman Price, Columbia University, New York, 1984.

Fellowship for Summer Course of "Neural Systems and Behavior", Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, Summer, 1984.

Adjunct Associate Professor, University of California-Davis, Dept. of Otolaryngology, 1/2003-1/2004.

Adjunct Professor, Institute of Otolaryngology, 301 Hospital in Beijing, China, 5/2002-present.

Adjunct Professor, Nanjing Medical University, China, 7/2004-6/2009

Advisory Professor, Nanjing University, China, 1/1996-1/1998.

Chairman of Academic Committee, Shanghai Cancer Institute

Vice Chairman of Academic Committee, Shanghai Renji Hospital

“肿瘤 (Tumor)”, Associate Editor

“Cells”, Editorial board member

“Experimental Biology and Medicine”, Editorial board member

Stem Cell Biology -(Spring Semester)

Tissue Engineering - (participating in the course offer by School of Medicine)

1. Tumor immunology

2. Tumor stem cells and microenvironment

3. Stem cells and tissue repair

1.  Lu Ji, Wei Qian, Liming Gui, Zhongzhong Ji, Pan Yin, Guanning Lin, Bin Ma*, Wei-Qiang Gao* (2020) Blockade of β-catenin-induced CCL28 suppresses gastric cancer progression via inhibition of Treg cell infiltration. Cancer Research, 80:2004-2016
2.  Wang X, Xu H, Cheng C, Ji Z, Zhao H, Sheng Y, Li X, Wang J, Shu Y, He Y, Fan L, Dong B, Xue W, Wai Chua C, Wu D, Gao WQ*, He Zhu H* (2020).Identification of a Zeb1 expressing basal stem cell subpopulation in the prostate. Nat Commun. 11(1):706. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-14296-y.
3. Liu M, Sun T, Li N, Peng J, Fu D, Li W, Li L*, Gao WQ* (2019) BRG1 attenuates colonic inflammation and tumorigenesis through autophagy-dependent oxidative stress sequestration. Nat Commun. 10(1):4614. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-12573-z.
4. Ji Z, Sheng Y, Miao J, Li X, Zhao H, Wang J, Cheng C, Wang X, Liu K, Zhang K, Xu L, Yao J, Shen L, Hou J, Zhou W, Sun J, Li L*, Gao WQ*, Zhu HH *(2019) The histone methyltransferase Setd2 is indispensable for V(D)J recombination. Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 26;10(1):3353. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11282-x.
5. Wang C, Chen J, Zhang Q, Li W, Zhang S, Xu Y, Wang F, Zhang B, Zhang Y, Gao WQ (2018) Elimination of CD4lowHLA-G+ T cells overcomes castration-resistance in prostate cancer therapy. Cell Res. 2018 Nov;28(11):1103-1117.
6. Guo Y, Zhang K, Cheng C, Ji Z, Wang X, Wang M, Chu M, Tang DG, Zhu HH*, Gao WQ*. Numb-/low enriches a castration resistant prostate cancer cell subpopulation associated with enhanced Notch and Hedgehog signaling. Clin Cancer Res. 2017 Jul 27. 23:6744-6756.
7. Zhang K, Guo Y, Wang X, Zhao H, Ji Z, Cheng C, Li L, Fang Y, Xu D, Zhu HH*, Gao WQ*. WNT/β-Catenin Directs Self-Renewal Symmetric Cell Division of hTERThigh Prostate Cancer Stem Cells. Cancer Res. 2017 Feb 16. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-1887. [Epub ahead of print]
8. Zhang Q, Qin J, Zhong L, Gong L, Zhang B, Zhang Y*, Gao WQ*. CCL5-Mediated Th2 Immune Polarization Promotes Metastasis in Luminal Breast Cancer. Cancer Res. 2015 Oct 15;75(20):4312-21
9. Wang N, Yao M, Xu J, Quan Y, Zhang K, Yang R*, Gao WQ*. Autocrine Activation of CHRM3 Promotes Prostate Cancer Growth and Castration Resistance via CaM/CaMKK-Mediated Phosphorylation of Akt. Clin Cancer Res. 2015 Oct 15;21(20):4676-85.
10. Liu W, Wu H, Chen L, Wen Y, Kong X*, Gao WQ*. Park7 interacts with p47(phox) to direct NADPH oxidase-dependent ROS production and protect against sepsis. Cell Res. 2015 Jun;25(6):691-706.
11. Zhou Z, Ji Z, Wang Y, Li J, Cao H, Zhu HH*, Gao WQ*. TRIM59 Is Up-Regulated in Gastric Tumors, Promoting Ubiquitination and Degradation of P53. Gastroenterology. 2014 Jul 18. pii: S0016-5085(14)00917-2.
12. Wang J, Zhu HH, Chu M, Liu Y, Zhang C, Liu G, Yang X, Yang R, Gao WQ. Symmetrical and asymmetrical division analysis provides evidence for a hierarchy of prostate epithelial cell lineages. Nat Commun. 2014 Aug 28;5:4758.
13. Leong KG, Wang BE, Johnson L*, Gao WQ*. Generation of a prostate from a single adult stem cell. Nature. 2008 Dec 11;456(7223):804-8.
14. Shou J, Soriano R, Hayward SW, Cunha GR, Williams PM, Gao WQ. Expression profiling of a human cell line model of prostatic cancer reveals a direct involvement of interferon signaling in prostate tumor progression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Mar 5;99(5):2830-5.
15. Shou J, Ross S, Koeppen H, de Sauvage FJ, Gao WQ. Dynamics of notch expression during murine prostate development and tumorigenesis. Cancer Res. 2001 Oct 1;61(19):7291-7.
16. Zheng JL, Gao WQ. Overexpression of Math1 induces robust production of extra hair cells in postnatal rat inner ears. Nat Neurosci. 2000 Jun;3(6):580-6.
17. Gao WQ, Hatten ME. Neuronal differentiation rescued by implantation of Weaver granule cell precursors into wild-type cerebellar cortex. Science. 1993 Apr 16;260(5106):367-9.
18. Gao WQ, Liu XL, Hatten ME. The weaver gene encodes a nonautonomous signal for CNS neuronal differentiation. Cell. 1992 Mar 6;68(5):841-54.
19. Gao WO, Heintz N, Hatten ME. Cerebellar granule cell neurogenesis is regulated by cell-cell interactions in vitro. Neuron. 1991 May;6(5):705-15.
20. Gao WQ, Macagno ER. Axon extension and retraction by leech neurons: severing early projections to peripheral targets prevents normal retraction of other projections. Neuron. 1988 Jun;1(4):269-77. 

48 US Patents granted:

As a single inventor for 9 patents related to “Treatment of hearing loss or balance impairment”

Gao, W.-Q., US Patent Number: 6225282

Gao, W.-Q.,   US Patent Number: 6121235

 Gao, W.-Q.,  US Patent Numbers: 6156728

Gao, W.-Q.. US Patent Number: 6429191

     Gao, W.-Q. US Patent Number: 6429196

Gao, W.-Q., US Patent Number: 6653279

Gao, W.-Q. US Patent Number: 6593290

Gao, W.-Q. US Patent Number: 6927204

Gao, W.-Q. US Patent Number: 6974798

39 more patents as a co-inventor for new methods or treatment of cancer:

Gao, W-Q. et al., Screening methods for secreted proteins for treatment of various diseases.  US patent.  6664376

Gao, W-Q. et al., US patent.  6635468

Gao, W-Q. et al., Notch receptor agonist and uses. US patent number:6689744.

Gao, W-Q. et al., Secreted and transmembrane polypeptides and nucleic acids encoding the same ……; US patent number:6723535

US patent 6930172, US patent 6936436, US patent 6914130, US patent 6951920,

US patent 6969758, US patent 6974689, US patent 6974798, US patent 7026448, US patent 7026449, US patent 7029874, US patent 7033786, US patent 7034123, US patent 7041805, US patent 7074592, US patent 7098312, US patent 7101984, US patent 9109305, US patent 7160993, US patent 7189529, US patent 7189813, US patent7195760, US patent 7196165, US patent 7279552, US patent 7208308, US patent 7285623, US patent 7285623, US patent 7285644, US patent 7294693, US patent 7309778, US patent 7317092, US patent 7385031, US patent 7390879, US patent 7408042, US patent 7432345, US patent 7557192,