Establishment and Development:

Center for Gene and Immunotherapy was established in 2016, with a Cell Engineering Laboratory and an Organoid Laboratory, aiming to integrate advanced gene engineering technology, cell engineering technology, and medicine to explore and develop new treatment methods for diseases such as cancer and genetic disorders, promoting human health. The founder of the laboratory, Professor Tang Dongqi, serves as the director of the Gene and Immunotherapy Center at the Second Hospital of Shandong University, as well as a professor, doctoral supervisor, Taishan Scholar overseas expert, and chairman of the Regenerative Medicine Branch of the Shandong Medical Association. Under his leadership and after years of effort, the team has grown from a small group of individuals to a large research group of over twenty members today, with members publishing over thirty high-quality papers in SCI-indexed journals such as Diabetes and Blood. The laboratory team undertakes important projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, provincial-level natural science funds, and has published research findings in high-level journals like PNAS and Nature Communications. Additionally, the laboratory actively explores interdisciplinary collaboration, establishing partnerships with various laboratories and research institutions to continuously expand research areas and enhance research innovation.

Team Members:

Tang Dongqi: Director of the Gene and Immunotherapy Laboratory at the Second Hospital of Shandong University, Professor at Shandong University, Ph.D. supervisor, Taishan Scholar overseas expert, and Chairman of the Regenerative Medicine Branch of the Shandong Medical Association.

Zhang Wen: Associate Researcher, young Taishan Scholar expert, Ph.D. from Shandong University. He is primarily dedicated to developing precise, effective, and controllable CAR-T, CAR-NK, TCR-T, and other tumor immunocellular and stem cell drugs. He has published over ten papers in SCI-indexed journals and has received funding from national-level projects.

Liu Jiang: Assistant Researcher, Ph.D. from Shandong University. His main research direction is the modification of immune cells to kill tumor cells using gene engineering technology. He has published multiple papers in SCI-indexed journals and holds several invention patents.

Zhu Guidong: Postdoctoral fellow, mainly exploring the role of organoids in drug screening, tissue, and organ reconstruction.

Pei Guojing: Postdoctoral fellow, focusing on the application of nanocarriers in the field of immune cell therapy.

Guo Linpei,: Postdoctoral fellow, primarily exploring the application of adenovirus in plasmid construction and immune cell therapy.

Wang Zhaoqi.: Postdoctoral fellow, dedicated to developing different gene therapy vectors and exploring their role in cellular therapy.

Additionally, the team includes 2 Ph.D. students, 3 research assistants, and over ten project collaborators who work together with researchers and postdoctoral fellows to advance research in the aforementioned directions. This diverse team collaboration is committed to driving innovation and development in the fields of gene engineering and immunotherapy.

Research Areas:

The Gene and Immunotherapy Center houses the Cell Engineering Laboratory and Organoid Laboratory, aiming to integrate advanced gene engineering technology, cell engineering technology, and medicine to explore and develop novel therapeutic methods for diseases such as cancer and genetic disorders, promoting human health. The main research directions include: exploring synthetic immunotherapy strategies to engineer immune cells; investigating the application of CRISPR gene editing technology in gene therapy, and developing gene drugs; developing functional protein drugs for treating metabolic diseases like diabetes; exploring the role of organoid technology in drug screening, tissue and organ reconstruction, and developing methods for evaluating tumor-related drugs and screening new drugs.

Research Achievements:

Under the collective efforts of Professor Tang Dongqi and all the research staff in the laboratory, the team has published articles in high-impact journals such as PNAS and Nature Communications. They have also secured funding for several national-level general projects and major projects in Shandong Province, including:

1. Shandong Province Major Science and Technology Innovation Project - Research on Key Technologies, Product Development, and Clinical Program of CAR-T/TCR-T/CAR-NK Cells (Project Number: 2021CXGC011101), Jan 2022 - Dec 2024, 12.14 million RMB, Principal Investigator.

2. National Natural Science Foundation of China General Project - "Discovery of Secreted FNDC5 (s-Irisin) and Molecular Mechanism of GLP-1 Regulation of fndc5 Gene" (Project Number: 81970743), Jan 2020 - Dec 2023, 550,000 RMB, Principal Investigator.

3. Shandong Province Major Science and Technology Innovation Project - "New Technology of Precise Cancer Medical Treatment Based on CAR-T Cells and Micro-Nano Chips" (Project Number: 2018YFJH0503), Jul 2018 - Dec 2020, 1.1 million RMB, Principal Investigator.

4. Shandong Province Key Industry Key Technology Project - "Construction and Clinical Application of Next-Generation CAR-T Cells" (Project Number: 2016CYJS01A04), Jan 2016 - Dec 2018, 1.5 million RMB, Principal Investigator.

5. National Natural Science Foundation of China General Project - "Effects and Mechanism of Irisin on Atherosclerotic Plaque Formation and Vascular Remodeling" (Project Number: 81570407), Jan 2016-Dec 2019, 550,000 RMB, Principal Investigator.

Main Publications:

1. Tang DQ, Lu S, Sun YP, Rodrigues E, Chou W, Yang C, Cao LZ, Chang LJ, Yang LJ. Reprogramming liver-stem WB cells into functional insulin-producing cells by persistent expression of Pdx1- and Pdx1-VP16 mediated by lentiviral vectors. Lab Invest. 2006 Jan;86(1):83-93. doi: 10.1038/labinvest.3700368. PMID: 16294197; PMCID: PMC3417286.

2. Yuan Zhang, Rui Li, Yan Meng, Shiwu Li, William Donelan, Yan Zhao, Lei Qi, Mingxiang Zhang, Xingli Wang, Taixing Cui, Li-Jun Yang, and Dongqi Tang. Irisin Stimulates Browning of White Adipocytes through Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase p38 MAP Kinase and ERK MAP Kinase Signaling.Diabetes. Diabetes. 2014 Feb;63(2):514-25.

3. Zhang Y, Li S, Donelan W, Xie C, Wang H, Wu Q, Purich DL, Reeves WH, Tang D, Yang LJ.Angiopoietin-like protein 8 (betatrophin) is a stress-response protein that down-regulates expression of adipocyte triglyceride lipase. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2015 Nov 11. pii: S1388-1981(15)00199-7. doi: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2015.11.003.

4. Yuzhu Zhang, Haibo Song, Yuan Zhang, Fei Wu, Qian Mu, Miao Jiang, Fang Wang, Wen Zhang, Liang Li, Lei Shao, Shiwu Li, Lijun Yang, Mingxiang Zhang,Qi Wu,and Dongqi Tang. Irisin Inhibits Atherosclerosis by Promoting Endothelial Proliferation Through microRNA126‐5p. J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 Sep; 5(9): e004031.

5. Zhang W, Zhang M, Gao C, Zhang Y, Ge Y, Guo S, Guo X, Zhou Z, Liu Q, Zhang Y, Ma C, Tao F, Xu P. Coupling between D-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase and D-2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase drives bacterial L-serine synthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017, 114(36): E7574-E7582.

6. Manman Zhang, Chao Gao, Xiaoting Guo, Shiting Guo, Zhaoqi Kang, Dan Xiao, Jinxin Yan, Fei Tao, Wen Zhang, Wenyue Dong, Pan Liu, Chen Yang, Cuiqing Ma & Ping Xu. Increased glutarate production by blocking the glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenation pathway and a catabolic pathway involving L-2-hydroxyglutarate. Nature Communications 2018, 9(1):2114

7. Fangjun Li, Mu Yang , Yunhe Li, Mingqiang Zhang, Wenjuan Wang, Dongfeng Yuan and Dongqi Tang.An improved clear cell renal cell carcinoma stage prediction model based on gene sets. BMC Bioinformatics (2020) 21:232.

8. Li Hui,Donelan William,Wang Fang et al. GLP-1 Induces the Expression of FNDC5 Derivatives That Execute Lipolytic Actions .Front Cell Dev Biol, 2021, 9: 777026.

9. Sun J, Zhang W, Zhao Y, Liu J, Wang F, Han Y, Jiang M, Li S, Tang D. Conditional control of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell activity through a destabilizing domain switch and its chemical ligand. Cytotherapy. 2021 Dec;23(12):1085-1096. doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2021.07.014. Epub 2021 Sep 28. PMID: 34593327.

10. Zhang W, Yang M, Wang G, Ou S, Hu J, Liu J, Lei Y, Kang Z, Wang F, Liu J, Ma C, Wang C, Gao C, Tang D. A biosensor for D-2-hydroxyglutarate in frozen sections and intraoperative assessment of IDH mutation status. Biosens Bioelectron. 2024 Mar 1;247:115921. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115921. Epub 2023 Dec 12. PMID: 38104390.

     

Facilities & Resources:

Our cutting-edge facilities and resources drive our team to explore forefront scientific inquiries, execute precise experiments, and advance immunotherapy, genetics, and molecular biology. Key equipment includes:

Cell Culture Facility: Equipped with biosafety cabinets, CO₂ incubators, and cell culture hoods for maintaining various cell lines.

Molecular Biology Lab: Fully equipped with PCR machines, gel documentation systems and electrophoresis equipment for genetic and molecular analysis.

Flow Cytometry Facility: Featuring high-end flow cytometers for cell analysis, cell sorting, and immunophenotyping studies.

Microscopy Suite: Includes fluorescence microscopes, confocal microscopes, and electron microscopes for cellular imaging and analysis.

Animal Facility: Maintained according to ethical standards for conducting in vivo studies, housing various animal models for preclinical research.

Genomics and Proteomics Center: Equipped with next-generation sequencing platforms, mass spectrometers, and bioinformatics tools for genomic and proteomic analysis.

Chemistry Lab: Supporting chemical synthesis, compound screening, and drug development studies with a range of analytical instruments and synthetic equipment.

Collaborations & Partnerships:

We have established close partnerships with multiple laboratories and research institutions. Through interdisciplinary team collaboration, we have brought together talents from different fields to collectively explore and develop new treatment methods for diseases such as cancer and genetic disorders. For example, we have established deep interdisciplinary collaboration with the Materials and Engineering School of Shandong University, aiming to address the challenges in gene and drug delivery by developing novel nanocarriers to advance this field. Additionally, we have collaborated with multiple research teams from Shandong University, Qilu University of Technology, and Jinan University to apply for major technological innovation projects in Shandong Province, with the goal of addressing the current challenges faced by CAR-T cell therapy. In terms of external collaborations, we have formed close partnerships with research institutes and biotech companies across various regions, engaging in collaborative projects spanning areas such as organoid research and cell engineering.

Recreational Activities:

The laboratory not only provides a variety of recreational activities for us to relax and unwind after scientific research, but also holds regular team dinners and organizes two outdoor group outings each year. We prioritize the health of research personnel by hosting various forms of sports competitions regularly, offering everyone excellent exercise opportunities. Additionally, we encourage participation in academic lectures and skills training to enhance professional development.

Other Features:

Our laboratory has a professional team and advanced facilities and resources, providing a solid foundation for researchers to conduct high-quality experiments. Our team has rich research experience, enabling us to offer professional theoretical guidance and experimental support to team members. Meanwhile, our collaborations with various research institutions and universities provide members with a broader platform for development. It is worth mentioning that our director, Tang Dongqi, also serves as the executive editor of the "Current Urology" journal.

Contact:

tangdq@sdu.edu.cn