Lee, Yungling Leo - IBMS, Sinica

Dr. Lee, Yungling Leo

Research Fellow

02-27899132 (Lab) (Room No: N343)
02-26523013 (Office)
02-27829142 (Fax)

Specialty:

1. Adaptive Immunity

2. Omics and Precision Medicine

3. Antigen Presenting Cells

4. Vaccine Development

Education and Positions:

M.D. National Taiwan University

Ph.D. National Cheng Kung University

Clinical Immunology Lab: linking innate cells to adaptive immunity

T cell Regulation in Inflammatory Diseases

1. We have demonstrated that UVB-exposed Treg cells contributed to the alleviation of inflammatory skin in a murine model of OVA-induced skin inflammation under UVB irradiation. When depleting Treg cells in Foxp3^DTR/GFP mice by the administration of diphtheria toxin, we found UVB irradiation could not suppress OVA-induced skin inflammation. In addition, we found that LAG-3 expression was significantly increased in UVB-exposed Treg cells.

2. Cytokine signaling between keratinocytes and innate cells results in CD4/CD8/Treg cell infiltration of psoriasis lesions. We applied single-cell mass cytometry (Cytometry Time-Of-Flight, CyTOF) to investigate function of Treg cells in the peripheral blood of patients with psoriasis. We will also apply single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to dissect the differential pattern among skin cells of patients before and after UVB therapy.

DC-based Cancer Immunotherapy

1. Emerging evidence suggests the promoting role of aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in the initiation, promotion, progression, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells. AhR-CD11c-conditional KO mice were generated and we found tumor growth were significantly reduced in conditional KO mice. It was also noted that activation of AhR can induce PD-L1 level on dendritic cell (DC) and Treg recruitment.

2. We employed phage display to select anti-CD11c peptide and AhR-neutralizing single-chain fragment variable (ScFv). PEGylated peptide is inserted into surface of liposome and the transcript of neutralizing ScFv is packaged in the inner space of liposome. Liposome coats acid-labile PEG-PGA-HX to prevent systemic peptidase and accelerating endosomal escape in acidic tumor microenvironment. Finally, we implemented the humanized ASID mice to investigate the efficiency of liposomal drugs. The DC-targeted cancer treatment remodels the tumor microenvironment and reduces side effects.