Yang Group

T cells drive immune responses against cancer, but their function is constrained by immunosuppressive mechanisms that enable cancer progression and metastasis. Our research aims to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning immune regulation and cancer immunosuppression, with the goal of developing new approaches for cancer prevention and treatment of metastatic disease.

Our work combines cutting-edge mouse models, advanced cellular and molecular techniques, and translational approaches to understand how the immune system can be harnessed for cancer prevention and treatment. Fundamental discoveries in immune suppression mechanisms will pave the way for new preventive and therapeutic strategies that could transform outcomes for patients at risk of developing cancer or those with existing metastatic disease.

Our research vision focuses on:

• T cell dysfunction and immune regulation: Identifying novel cellular and molecular inhibitory pathways that constrain cancer immunity and developing translatable therapeutic strategies to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy. 
• Immune-based cancer prevention: Investigating how immune-modulating interventions, including biological therapies and readily available small molecule drugs like aspirin, could prevent cancer development and spread in high-risk populations.
• Immune-metastasis interactions: Understanding how metastatic cancer cells evade immune surveillance and manipulate local immune environments, and identifying targetable pathways to enhance anti-metastatic immunity.