2011.09 – now　Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, CAS (Guangzhou, China)/ Principal Investigator

2010.10 – 2011.08　Welcome Trust Sanger Institute (Cambridge, UK)/Postdoctor

2006.10 – 2010.06　Cambridge University (Cambridge, UK)/ Ph.D. in Genetics

2002.09 – 2006.06　Tsinghua University (Beijing, China)/ B.Sc. in Biology

Leading a research lab focusing on cancer immunotherapy, Peng Li is committed to optimize the designs of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) vectors, identify novel antigens for CAR-T cellular therapy, and establish the pre-clinical drug efficacy evaluation platform for cancer immunotherapy.

For the first time, Peng demonstrated that T lymphocytes reprogrammed to a novel type of natural killer (NK)-like cells, ITNKs, upon loss of Bcl11b. ITNKs are capable of suppressing the growth and the metastasis of various tumors in vivo while keeping host cells intact, revealing the potential application of ITNKs in cancer immunotherapy. The research was published in Science in 2010 and was highlighted in top journals, including Science, Immunol Rev, and Nat Rev Clin Oncol. Peng was invited to orally present this work in 2010 Cold Spring Harbor Lymphocytes Conference in New York. A PCT patent based on ITNK production and application has been granted.

In 2011, Peng joined Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences as a principal investigator. Leading a research lab focusing on cancer immunotherapy, Peng Li is committed to optimize the designs of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) vectors, identify novel antigens for CAR-T cellular therapy, and establish the pre-clinical drug efficacy evaluation platform for cancer immunotherapy. Recently, Peng Li has achieved: 1). Revealing that the incorporation of TLR2 enhances the anti-tumor capacities of CAR-T cells by promoting the secretion of cytotoxic cytokines including IL-2 and IFN-γ and up-regulating the expression of MMP2 and IRF3 that facilitate T cells to infiltrate into tumors; 2). Identifying PSCA and MUC1 as new antigens for targeting lung cancer, and validating the efficacies of anti-PSCA and anti-MUC1 CAR-T cells in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of lung cancer and liver cancer; 3). Uncovering that myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the tumor microenvironment nurture the proliferation of tumor cells by releasing growth factors including IGF1, and demonstrating the synergistic anti-tumor effects of combining CAR-T cells targeting both cancer cells and their niche simultaneously. These studies not only supply new ideas for developing next-generation genetic engineered T cells but also provide scientific principles guiding the clinical trials of CAR-T cell therapy. In the last five years, Peng Li has published 23 research articles in SCI journals as the senior corresponding author and filed 13 authorized invention patents as the first inventor, one of which has received Chinese Patent Award.

1.  Li P#, Burke S, Wang J, Chen X, Ortiz M, Lee SC, Lu D, Campos L, Goulding D, Ng BL, Dougan G, Huntly B, Gottgens B, Jenkins NA, Copeland NG, Colucci F, Liu P. Reprogramming of T cells to natural killer-like cells upon Bcl11b deletion. Science. 2010 Jul 2;329(5987):85-9. 

2.  Jiang Z, Liao R, Lv J, Li S, Zheng D, Qin L, Wu D, Chen S, Long Y, Wu Q, Wang S, Lin S, Huang X, Tang Z, Shi P, Zhou H, Liu Q, Zhao R, Li Y, Jie Y, Wei W, Lai P, Du X, Cui S, Weinkove R, Liu P, Pei D, Yao Y, Li P*. IL-6 trans-signaling promotes the expansion and anti-tumor activity of CAR T cells. Leukemia. 2020 Nov 9.

3.  Lai Y, Weng J, Wei X, Qin L, Lai P, Zhao R, Jiang Z, Li B, Lin S, Wang S, Wu Q, Tang Z, Liu P, Pei D, Yao Y, Du X, Li P*. Toll-like receptor 2 costimulation potentiates the antitumor efficacy of CAR T Cells. Leukemia. 2018 Mar;32(3):801-808.

4. Lin S, Huang G, Cheng L, Li Z, Xiao Y, Deng Q, Jiang Y, Li B, Lin S, Wang S, Wu Q, Yao H, Cao S, Li Y, Liu P, Wei W, Pei D, Yao Y, Wen Z, Zhang X, Wu Y, Zhang Z, Cui S, Sun X, Qian X, Li P*. Establishment of peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived humanized lung cancer mouse models for studying efficacy of PD-L1/PD-1 targeted immunotherapy. MAbs. 2018 Nov-Dec;10(8):1301-1311.

5.  Zhao R, Cheng L, Jiang Z, Wei X, Li B, Wu Q, Wang S, Lin S, Long Y, Zhang X, Wu Y, Du X, Pei D, Liu P, Li Y, Cui S, Yao Y, Li P*. DNAX-activating protein 10 co-stimulation enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T cells. Oncoimmunology. 2018 Nov 2;8(1):e1509173.

6.  Ye W, Jiang Z, Li GX, Xiao Y, Lin S, Lai Y, Wang S, Li B, Jia B, Li Y, Huang ZL, Li J, Feng F, Li S, Yao H, Liu Z, Cao S, Xu L, Li Y, Wu D, Zeng L, Zhong M, Liu P, Wen ZS, Xu B, Yao Y, Pei D, Li P*. Quantitative evaluation of the immunodeficiency of a mouse strain by tumor engraftments. J Hematol Oncol. 2015 May 29;8:59.

7.  Li W, Jiang Z, Li T, Wei X, Zheng Y, Wu D, Yang L, Chen S, Xu B, Zhong M, Jiang J, Hu Y, Su H, Zhang M, Huang X, Geng S, Weng J, Du X, Liu P, Li Y, Liu H, Yao Y, Li P*. Genome-wide analyses identify KLF4 as an important negative regulator in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia through directly inhibiting T-cell associated genes. Mol Cancer. 2015 Feb 3;14:26.

8.  Xiao Y, Jiang Z, Li Y, Ye W, Jia B, Zhang M, Xu Y, Wu D, Lai L, Chen Y, Chang Y, Huang X, Liu H, Qing G, Liu P, Li Y, Xu B, Zhong M, Yao Y, Pei D, Li P*. ANGPTL7 regulates the expansion and repopulation of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Haematologica. 2015 May;100(5):585-94.