Research Interests

• Dendritic cells (DCs) are the professional antigen presenting cells that detect infection and activate both innate lymphoid cells and T cells. DC is composed of many subsets, such as plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), conventional DCs (cDCs) and monocyte derived DCs (moDCs). Hyperactivated DCs and tolerant DCs have been considered playing detrimental roles in autoimmunity and tumor diseases, respectively. Our work has identified the genetic factors that control the occurrence and progression of lupus (Blood, 2010; JCI, 2022). We have also identified metabolic regulators in different DC subsets in various autoimmune diseases, including IBD, psoriasis and lupus (Cell Reports, 2015, Arthritis & Rheumatology, 2020; JCI insight, 2020; iScience, 2020). In addition, we have established a human DC differentiation system, which will help explore the involvement of human DCs in various diseases and develop cDC based anti-tumor therapeutic methods.