Shanghai Cancer Institute

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WANG Cun

Professor

Email: cwang@shsci.org

Tel:13917398776

Research field:Functional genetics in liver cancer

Biography

  • Cun Wang studied proteomics during liver cancer metastasis for his Ph.D. research with Yinkun Liu at Fundan University. In 2012, he joined the laboratory of Wenxin Qin in Shanghai Cancer Institute. During 2016-2019, he joined the laboratory of Rene Bernards at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam for his postdoctoral training. He was appointed professor at Shanghai Cancer institute in 2019.

  • His laboratory and colleagues used genetic screens to identify potential targets and powerful drug combinations for the treatment of liver cancer. They identified CDK7 and CDK12 as potential therapeutic targets for advanced liver cancer. His finding revealed that the combination of a MEK inhibitor and sorafenib was effective for the MAPK activated advanced liver cancer. His recent work highlights the potential of targeting ATR-CHK1 signaling, either alone or in combination with CDC7 inhibition based on the level of replication stress, for the treatment of liver cancer. In addition, his recent work has proposed a “one-two punch” approach to cancer therapy in which the first drug induces a vulnerability based on senescence induction which can be exploited by the second drug.

  • Cun Wang was selected as an Editor-in-Chief for Cellular Oncology in 2022.

Publications

  1. Yang C, Zhang H, Zhang L, Zhu AX*, Bernards R*, Qin W*, Wang C*. Evolving therapeutic landscape of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. (2022 Accept).

  2. Ma X, Wu S, Li B, Zhang Q, Zhang J, Liu W, Yan H, Bernards R*, Qin W*, Wang C*. EGFR blockade confers sensitivity to cabozantinib in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Discovery. (2022 Accept).

  3. Yang C, Zhang H, Chen M, Wang S, Qian R, Zhang L, Huang X, Wang J, Liu Z, Qin W, Wang C*, Hang H*, Wang H*. A survey of optimal strategy for signature-based drug repositioning and an application to liver cancer. Elife. 11, e71880 (2022).

  4. Li Y, Yang C , Liu Z, Du S, Can S, Zhang H, Zhang L, Huang X, Xiao Z, Li X, Fang J, Qin W, Sun C*, Wang C*, Chen J*, Chen H*. Integrative analysis of CRISPR screening data uncovers new opportunities for optimizing cancer immunotherapy. Molecular Cancer. 21, 2 (2022).

  5. Guo Y, Wang J, Benedict B, Yang C, Gemert F, Ma X, Gao D, Wang H, Zhang S, Lieftink C, Beijersbergen RL, Riele Ht, Qiao X, Gao Q, Sun C, Qin W, Bernards R*, Wang C*. Targeting CDC7 potentiates ATR-CHK1 signaling inhibition through induction of DNA replication stress in liver cancer. Genome Medicine. 13, 166 (2021).

  6. Yang C, Chen J, Li Y, Huang X, Liu Z, Wang J, Jiang H, Qin W, Lv Y*, Wang H*, Wang C*. Exploring subclass-specific therapeutic agents for hepatocellular carcinoma by informatics-guided drug screen. Brief Bioinform. 22, bbaa295 (2021).

  7. Wang C*, Cao Y, Yang C, Bernards R*, Qin W*. Exploring liver cancer biology through functional genetic screens. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 18, 690-704 (2021).

  8. Zuo Q, He J, Zhang S, Wang H, Jin G, Jin H, Cheng Z, Tao X, Yu C, Li B, Yang C, Wang S, Lv Y, Zhao F, Yao M, Cong W, Wang C*, Qin W*. PPARγ Coactivator-1α Suppresses Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Inhibiting Warburg Effect by PPARγ-Dependent WNT/β-Catenin/Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase Isozyme 1 Axis. Hepatology. 73, 644-660 (2021).

  9. Wang C, Wang H, Lieftink C, Chatinier A, Gao D, Jin G, Jin H, Beijersbergen RL, Qin W*, Bernards R*. CDK12 inhibition mediates DNA damage and is synergistic with sorafenib treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma. Gut. 69, 727-736 (2020).

  10. Yang C, Huang X, Liu Z, Qin W*, Wang C*. Metabolism-associated molecular classification of hepatocellular carcinoma. Mol Oncol. 14, 896-913 (2020).

  11. Wang C, Vegna S, Jin H, Benedict B, Lieftink C, Ramirez C, Oliveira R Le, Morris B, Gadiot J, Wang W, Chatinier Ad, Wang L, Gao D, Evers B, Jin G, Xue Z, Schepers A, Jochems F, Sanchez AM, Mainardi S, Riele Ht, Beijersbergen RL, Qin W*, Akkari L*, Bernards R*. Inducing and exploiting vulnerabilities for the treatment of liver cancer. Nature. 574, 268-272 (2019).

  12. Wang C, Jin H, Gao D, Lieftink C, Evers B, Jin G, Xue Z, Wang L, Beijersbergen RL, Qin W*, Bernards R*. Phospho-ERK is a biomarker of response to a synthetic lethal drug combination of sorafenib and MEK inhibition in liver cancer. J Hepatol. 69, 1057-1065 (2018).

  13. Wang C, Jin H, Gao D, Wang L, Evers B, Xue Z, Jin G, Lieftink C, Beijersbergen RL, Qin W*, Bernards R*. A CRISPR screen identifies CDK7 as a therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Res. 28, 690-692 (2018).

  14. 14.Wang C, Bernards R*. In vivo veritas: Finding novel genes involved in liver cancer through in vivo genetic screens. Hepatology. 66, 2078-2080 (2017).

  15. Jin H#, Wang C#, Jin G#, Ruan H, Gu D, Wei L, Wang H, Wang N, Arunachalam E, Zhang Y, Deng X, Yang C, Xiong Y, Feng H, Yao M, Fang J, Gu J, Cong W*, Qin W*. Regulator of Calcineurin 1 Gene Isoform 4, Down-regulated in Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Prevents Proliferation, Migration, and Invasive Activity of Cancer Cells and Metastasis of Orthotopic Tumors by Inhibiting Nuclear Translocation of NFAT1. Gastroenterology. 153, 799-811 (2017).

  16. Zhang Y, Tao X, Jin G, Jin H, Wang N, Hu F, Luo Q, Shu H, Zhao F, Yao M, Fang J, Cong W*, Qin W*, Wang C*. A Targetable molecular chaperone Hsp27 confers aggressiveness in hepatocellular carcinoma. Theranostics. 6, 558-70 (2016).