Professor Yong-Jie Lu
MBBS, MD, PhD
Professor of Molecular Oncology
Group Leader
Research Focus
We aim to identify genetic alterations that influence cancer development, progression and therapeutic responses, in particular for prostate cancer, and further develop them into biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and therapeutic stratification, with a current focus on circulating biomarkers.
Key Publications
The novel association of circulating tumor cells and circulating megakaryocytes with prostate cancer prognosis. Clin Cancer Res (2017) 23(17):5112-5122. PMID: 28615267
Optimization and evaluation of a novel size based circulating tumor cell isolation system. PLoS ONE (2015) 10(9): e0138032. PMID: 26397728
DNA replication-dependent induction of gene proximity by androgen. Hum Mol Genet (2015) 15;24(4):963-71. PMID: 25281662
Identification of ZDHHC14 as a novel human tumour suppressor gene. J Pathol (2014) 232(5):566-77. PMID: 24407904
Major Funding
- 2017-2018- Angle Europe PLC, "The prognostic value of circulating megakaryocytes for cancer patients" £201,685
- 2015-2018- The Orchid Cancer Appeal, "Circulating tumour cell study and biomarker identification in prostate cancer" £485,000
Other Activities
- Senior Editor: American Journal of Cancer Research
- Member of prostate cancer ICGC consortium
- Member of PRACTICAL prostate cancer predisposition study international consortium.
Research
I have set up a research team devoted to cancer genetic studies and biomarker development, in particular in male urological cancers. The mission of the research team is to reduce motility and morbidity of cancer patients by understanding cancer development and progression mechanisms and facilitating precision medicine through the development of efficient cancer detection, prognostic and treatment response prediction/monitoring biomarkers.
Our past work have been mainly focused on identification of genetic alterations and genetic mechanisms in cancer development, progression and therapeutic response. Recently, our research work moved into circulation biomarker development, including CTCs, exosome and other cells, for cancer diagnosis, prognosis and prediction/monitoring of cancer progression and therapeutic response.
There are currently two main research areas of interest:
- Biomarker discovery and clinical applications, focusing on circulating biomarkers (CTCs, exosomes and other cancer associated circulating cells) for cancer diagnosis, prognosis and prediction/monitoring of cancer progression and therapeutic response.
- Mechanisms of prostate cancer metastasis and therapeutic resistance.
Other Activities
- Senior Editor: American Journal of Cancer Research
- Editorial Board Member: The Open Breast Cancer Journal
- Editorial Board Member: Journal of Cancer Research Updates
- Scientific assessment committee member: France national cancer research programme Canceropole (2007-2014)
- Research grant reviewer for funding bodies, such as British Medical Research Council (MRC), British National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK Prostate Action, Prostate Cancer Research Charity, National Cancer Institute of France, International Association of Cancer Research, Hong Kong Research Grants Council
- Referee of scientific journals such as Oncogene, J Path, Gene Chromosome Cancer, Br J Cancer, International J Cancer, Carcinogenesis, PloS One, BMC Cancer, Histopathology, Clinical Cancer Research and America Journal of Pathology
- Member of prostate cancer ICGC consortium
Member of PRACTICAL prostate cancer predisposition study international consortium - Active Member of American Association for Cancer Research
- Honorable Professor, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- Honorable Professor, Naning Medical University, China
- Visiting Professor, Zhengzhou University Medical College, China
Major Funding
- 2017-2018- Angle Europe PLC, "The prognostic value of circulating megakaryocytes for cancer patients" £201,685
- 2015-2018- The Orchid Cancer Appeal, "Circulating tumour cell study and biomarker identification in prostate cancer" £485,000
- 2014-2018- Medical Research Council, Associated genes in prostate cancer, £303,225
Recent Publications
Author Correction: Association analyses of more than 140,000 men identify 63 new prostate cancer susceptibility loci. Schumacher FR, Olama AAA, Berndt SI et al. Nat Genet (2019) 51(2) 363
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30622367
Author Correction: Genome-wide association study identifies susceptibility loci for B-cell childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Vijayakrishnan J, Studd J, Broderick P et al. Nat Commun (2019) 10(2) 419
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30664635
Author Correction: Germline variation at 8q24 and prostate cancer risk in men of European ancestry. Matejcic M, Saunders EJ, Dadaev T et al. Nat Commun (2019) 10(2) 382
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30655571
Author Correction: Identification of multiple risk loci and regulatory mechanisms influencing susceptibility to multiple myeloma. Went M, Sud A, Försti A et al. Nat Commun (2019) 10(2) 213
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30631080
Author Correction: Genome-wide association study of classical Hodgkin lymphoma identifies key regulators of disease susceptibility. Sud A, Thomsen H, Law PJ et al. Nat Commun (2019) 10(2) 157
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30622283
Author Correction: Large-scale transcriptome-wide association study identifies new prostate cancer risk regions. Mancuso N, Gayther S, Gusev A et al. Nat Commun (2019) 10(2) 171
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30622272
Circulating Metabolic Biomarkers of Screen-Detected Prostate Cancer in the ProtecT Study. Adams CD, Richmond R, Ferreira DLS et al. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev (2019) 28(2) 208-216
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30352818
AA9int: SNP interaction pattern search using non-hierarchical additive model set. Lin H-Y, Huang P-Y, Chen D-T et al. Bioinformatics (2018) 34(2) 4141-4150
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29878078
Genome-wide association study identifies susceptibility loci for B-cell childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia Vijayakrishnan J, Studd J, Broderick P et al. Nature Communications (2018) 9(1)
Germline variation at 8q24 and prostate cancer risk in men of European ancestry. Matejcic M, Saunders EJ, Dadaev T et al. Nat Commun (2018) 9(2) 4616
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30397198
Team
Postdoctoral Researchers
Xueying Mao, Elzbieta Stankiewicz
PhD Students
Tanyu Guo, Caitlin Davis, Yeuzhou Zhang
Research Technician
Edwina Burke
Biography
Education
- 1992-1995: Ph.D. student in Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) & Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing. (Pathophysiology)
- 1989-1992: Post-graduate student in Dept. of Biology, Harbin Medical University. (M.D. Medical Genetics.)
- 1984-1989: Undergraduate medical student in Faculty of Medicine, Henan Medical University.
Appointments
- Oct 2017-present: Professor of Molecular Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London
- July 2010-Sept 2017: Reader (Team Leader), Barts Cancer Institute, Barts and London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)
- Jun 2003-July 2010: Senior Lecturer (Team Leader), Barts Cancer Institute, Barts and London School of Medicine and Dentistry, QMUL.
- Oct 2001-Jun 2003: Research Associate (deputy Team Leader), Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), Sutton, UK.
- Apr 2000-Oct. 2001: Senior postdoctoral scientist, Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory, Section of Paediatrics (joint with Section of Molecular Carcinogenesis), ICR, Sutton, UK.
- Apr 1997-Apr 2000: Postdoctoral scientist, Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory, Section of Cell Biology & Experimental Pathology, ICR, Sutton, UK.
- Oct 1995-Jan 1997: Visiting Scholar, Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory, ICR, Sutton, UK.