Mingye Feng, Ph.D.

626-256-4673
Mingye Feng, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Immuno-Oncology
Research Area
Macrophage-mediated Immunosurveillance
Research Teams
Immuno-Oncology

Location

Education & Experience

Degrees

  • 2011, Ph.D., Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

  • 2004, B.S., Biological Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China

Fellowship

  • 2012 - 2016, Postdoctoral Fellowship, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

  • 2011 - 2016, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Professional Experience

  • 2021 - present, Associate Professor, Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 2017 - 2021, Assistant Professor, Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 2016 - 2017, Instructor, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Research

Laboratory

The ability to escape from surveillance by the immune system is regarded as one of the essential hallmarks of cancer cells. While the functions of lymphocytes (T, B and NK cells) in tumor immunosurveillance have been studied for decades, the roles of macrophages on tumor cell elimination have only begun to be explored. Macrophages detect and eliminate tumor cells via a process of macrophage-mediated cell phagocytosis called “programmed cell removal” (PrCR). Recent studies showed that blockade of a “don't eat me” signal CD47 on malignant hematopoietic and various solid tumor cells enabled their phagocytosis by macrophages and prevented their engraftment in mice lacking T, B and NK cells, indicating a key role of macrophages in tumor surveillance and elimination. While inducing macrophage-mediated immunosurveillance holds considerable promise for the treatment of various cancers, its underlying mechanism remains largely unknown.
 
My laboratory is focused on three fundamental questions: First, how do macrophages recognize tumor cells and target them for phagocytosis? Second, at different stages of cancer development, do macrophages exert multiple layers of extrinsic PrCR pressure to tumor cells, and how do tumor cells react and develop self-protective mechanisms? Third, what are the intrinsic regulatory programs in macrophages that regulate their functions in PrCR?

Our overall objective is to combine in vitro and in vivo approaches to explore the underlying mechanisms of macrophage-mediated immunosurveillance and its therapeutic potential. The identification and understanding of such important mechanisms should shed light on the basic mechanisms of tumor cell immune evasion, and enable the development of novel anti-cancer immunotherapies.
 
* * *
 

Career opportunities

 
We are seeking highly motivated biologists, chemists and physicians from diverse backgrounds to join our research team.

We now have positions open for two postdoctoral fellows.
 
  • Postdoctoral candidates: please submit a cover letter, CV and names of three referrals to Mingye Feng, Ph.D. ([email protected]). We are currently looking for highly motivated and talented candidates in but not limited to:
  1. Cancer Biology/Cell Biology
  2. Immunology
  • Graduate students: please feel free to contact Mingye Feng, Ph.D., directly for research opportunities.
  • Interns who are interested in volunteering during the entire academic year or just the summer, send a cover letter and CV to Mingye Feng, Ph.D. 

Awards & Memberships

Awards

  • 2020, Steven Gordon & Briskin Family Innovation Grant, The Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research

  • 2018, V Scholar Award, V Foundation for Cancer Research

  • 2018, The Margaret E. Early Medical Research Trust Grant

  • 2017, Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

  • 2015, K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, National Cancer Institute of the NIH

  • 2012, Postdoctoral Fellowship, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

  • 2011, The Martin and Carol Macht Doctoral Research Award, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine

Publications

Cao X, Wang Y, Zhang W, Zhong X, Gunes EG, Dang J, Wang J, Epstein AL, Querfeld C, Sun Z, Rosen ST#, and Feng M#. Targeting macrophages for enhancing CD47 blockade-elicited lymphoma clearance and overcoming tumor-induced immunosuppression. Blood. 2022 Jun 2;139(22):3290-3302. (#co-corresponding author). PMID: 35134139.

Cao X, Chen J, Li B, Dang J, Zhang W, Zhong X, Wang C, Raoof M, Sun Z, Yu J, Fakih MG, and Feng M. Promoting antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis for effective macrophage-based cancer immunotherapy. Sci Adv. 2022 Mar 18;8(11):eabl9171. PMID: 35302839. PMCID: PMC8932662.

Tian L, Xu B, Teng KY, Song M, Zhu Z, Chen Y, Wang J, Zhang J, Feng M, Kaur B, Rodriguez-Rodriguez L, Caligiuri MA, and Yu J. Targeting Fc receptor-mediated effects and the "don't eat me" signal with an oncolytic virus expressing an anti-CD47 antibody to treat metastatic ovarian cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2022 Jan 1;28(1):201-214. PMID: 34645647. PMCID: PMC8963132.

Xu B, Tian L, Chen J, Wang J, Ma R, Dong W, Li A, Zhang J, Antonio Chiocca E, Kaur B, Feng M, Caligiuri MA, and Yu J. An oncolytic virus expressing a full-length antibody enhances antitumor innate immune response to glioblastoma. Nat Commun. 2021 Oct 8;12(1):5908. PMID: 33790906. PMCID: PMC8501058.

Chen S, Lai SWT, Brown CE, Feng M. Harnessing and Enhancing Macrophage Phagocytosis for Cancer Therapy. Front Immunol. 2021;12:635173. eCollection 2021. PubMed PMID: 33790906; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8006289.

Cao X, Li B, Chen J, Dang J, Chen S, Gunes EG, Xu B, Tian L, Muend S, Raoof M, Querfeld C, Yu J, Rosen ST, Wang Y, Feng M. Effect of cabazitaxel on macrophages improves CD47-targeted immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer. J Immunother Cancer. 2021 Mar;9(3). PubMed PMID: 33753567; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7986678.

Chen J, Cao X, Li B, Zhao Z, Chen S, Lai SWT, Muend SA, Nossa GK, Wang L, Guo W, Ye J, Lee PP, Feng M. Warburg Effect Is a Cancer Immune Evasion Mechanism Against Macrophage Immunosurveillance. Front Immunol. 2020;11:621757. eCollection 2020. PubMed PMID: 33603751; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7884830.

Lewinsky H, Gunes EG, David K, Radomir L, Kramer MP, Pellegrino B, Perpinial M, Chen J, He TF, Mansour AG, Teng KY, Bhattacharya S, Caserta E, Troadec E, Lee P, Feng M, Keats J, Krishnan A, Rosenzweig M, Yu J, Caligiuri MA, Cohen Y, Shevetz O, Becker-Herman S, Pichiorri F, Rosen S, Shachar I. CD84 is a regulator of the immunosuppressive microenvironment in multiple myeloma. JCI Insight. 2021 Feb 22;6(4). PubMed PMID: 33465053; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7934939.

Feng M*#, Jiang W*#, Kim BYS, Zhang CC, Fu YX, Weissman IL. Phagocytosis checkpoints as new targets for cancer immunotherapy. Nat Rev Cancer. 2019 Oct;19(10):568-586. Epub 2019 Aug 28. PubMed PMID: 31462760; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7002027. (*equal contribution, #co-corresponding author).

Zhu F*, Feng M*, Sinha R, Murphy MP, Luo F, Kao KS, Szade K, Seita J, Weissman IL. The GABA receptor GABRR1 is expressed on and functional in hematopoietic stem cells and megakaryocyte progenitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2019 Sep 10;116(37):18416-18422. Epub 2019 Aug 26. PubMed PMID: 31451629; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6744911. (*equal contribution)

Zhu F, Feng M, Sinha R, Seita J, Mori Y, Weissman IL. Screening for genes that regulate the differentiation of human megakaryocytic lineage cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2018 Oct 2;115(40):E9308-E9316. Epub 2018 Aug 27. PubMed PMID: 30150396; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6176640.

Folkes AS, Feng M, Zain JM, Abdulla F, Rosen ST, Querfeld C. Targeting CD47 as a cancer therapeutic strategy: the cutaneous T-cell lymphoma experience. Curr Opin Oncol. 2018 Sep;30(5):332-337. PubMed PMID: 29994903; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6452884.

Feng M*#, Marjon KD*, Zhu F*, Weissman-Tsukamoto R*, Levett A, Sullivan K, Kao KS, Markovic M, Bump PA, Jackson HM, Choi TS, Chen J, Banuelos AM, Liu J, Gip P, Cheng L, Wang D, Weissman IL#. Programmed cell removal by calreticulin in tissue homeostasis and cancer. Nat Commun. 2018 Aug 10;9(1):3194. PubMed PMID: 30097573; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6086865. (*equal contribution, #co-corresponding author).

Weiskopf K, Schnorr PJ, Pang WW, Chao MP, Chhabra A, Seita J, Feng M, Weissman IL. Myeloid Cell Origins, Differentiation, and Clinical Implications. Microbiol Spectr. 2016 Oct;4(5). MCHD-0031-2016. PubMed PMID: 27763252; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5119546.

Feng M, Chen JY, Weissman-Tsukamoto R, Volkmer JP, Ho PY, McKenna KM, Cheshier S, Zhang M, Guo N, Gip P, Mitra SS, Weissman IL. Macrophages eat cancer cells using their own calreticulin as a guide: roles of TLR and Btk. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2015 Feb 17;112(7):2145-50. Epub 2015 Feb 2. PubMed PMID: 25646432; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4343163.

Leitch S, Feng M, Muend S, Braiterman LT, Hubbard AL, Rao R. Vesicular distribution of Secretory Pathway Ca²+-ATPase isoform 1 and a role in manganese detoxification in liver-derived polarized cells. Biometals. 2011 Feb;24(1):159-70. Epub 2010 Oct 28. PubMed PMID: 20981470; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3238027.

Feng M, Grice DM, Faddy HM, Nguyen N, Leitch S, Wang Y, Muend S, Kenny PA, Sukumar S, Roberts-Thomson SJ, Monteith GR, Rao R. Store-independent activation of Orai1 by SPCA2 in mammary tumors. Cell. 2010 Oct 1;143(1):84-98. PubMed PMID: 20887894; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2950964.

Faddy HM, Smart CE, Xu R, Lee GY, Kenny PA, Feng M, Rao R, Brown MA, Bissell MJ, Roberts-Thomson SJ, Monteith GR. Localization of plasma membrane and secretory calcium pumps in the mammary gland. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 May 9;369(3):977-81. Epub 2008 Mar 10. PubMed PMID: 18334228; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3234104.

Xiang M, Feng M, Muend S, Rao R. A human Na+/H+ antiporter sharing evolutionary origins with bacterial NhaA may be a candidate gene for essential hypertension. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2007 Nov 20;104(47):18677-81. Epub 2007 Nov 13. PubMed PMID: 18000046; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2141836.