Biography
The Tang lab focuses on translating knowledge on mechanisms of immune tolerance into novel therapeutics for treating autoimmune diabetes and preventing transplant rejection. Currently, two major areas of work are on therapeutic application of regulatory T cell therapy in type 1 diabetes and transplantation and immune modulation to enable immune suppression-free transplant of stem-cell-derived beta cells for treatment of type 1 diabetes.
Regulatory T cells are a small population of white blood cells that are essential for preventing tissue damages caused by over activation of the immune system. The Tang lab has shown that infusion of regulatory T cells in animal models can reverse type 1 diabetes, a disease caused by immune destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreatic islets. Similarly, regulatory T cell therapy can prevent rejection of transplanted organs in animal models. A joint team of researchers from the Tang and Bluestone labs is currently conducting 6 clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of regulatory T cell therapy in patients. In the mean time, we are developing next generation regulatory T cell therapies in preclinical models to improve the safety and efficacy of the therapy.
In patients with chronic type 1 diabetes, transplanting of stem-cell-derived beta cells can potentially cure the disease, but patients have to commit to life-long immunosuppression to prevent rejection of the transplanted cells from rejection by the immune system. The Tang lab is currently investigating approaches to shield the transplanted cells from the immune systems using novel biomaterials developed in the Desai and Roy labs at UCSF. We are also applying genome-editing technologies to immunoengineer stem cells to evade immune rejection.
Regulatory T cells are a small population of white blood cells that are essential for preventing tissue damages caused by over activation of the immune system. The Tang lab has shown that infusion of regulatory T cells in animal models can reverse type 1 diabetes, a disease caused by immune destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreatic islets. Similarly, regulatory T cell therapy can prevent rejection of transplanted organs in animal models. A joint team of researchers from the Tang and Bluestone labs is currently conducting 6 clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of regulatory T cell therapy in patients. In the mean time, we are developing next generation regulatory T cell therapies in preclinical models to improve the safety and efficacy of the therapy.
In patients with chronic type 1 diabetes, transplanting of stem-cell-derived beta cells can potentially cure the disease, but patients have to commit to life-long immunosuppression to prevent rejection of the transplanted cells from rejection by the immune system. The Tang lab is currently investigating approaches to shield the transplanted cells from the immune systems using novel biomaterials developed in the Desai and Roy labs at UCSF. We are also applying genome-editing technologies to immunoengineer stem cells to evade immune rejection.
Education
| Institution | Degree | Dept or School | End Date | 
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training | 2021 | |
| University of California | Postdoctoral Studies | Immunology | 2002 | 
| Univeristy of Chicago | Postdoctoral Studies | Immunology | 2000 | 
| University of Illinios | PhD | Microbiology and Immunology | 1996 | 
| University of South Alabama | Graduate School | Microbiology and Immunology | 1991 | 
| Peking Union Medical College | Medical School | Medcine | 1989 | 
Clinical Trials
- Related Conditions: Liver Transplant| Start Date: | End Date:
- Related Conditions: Liver Transplant| Start Date: | End Date:
In the News
June, 13, 2019 | UCSF News Services
    October, 19, 2018 | UCSF Transplantation Research Lab
    July, 11, 2017 | UCSF Tang Lab
    May, 24, 2016 | UCSF Pediatric Surgery
    ASTS Awards Qizhi Tang, Ph.D. Faculty Research Grant for Biomarker Discovery and Functional Genomics
May, 05, 2015 | UCSF Transplant SurgeryMarch, 10, 2014 | UCSF Transplant Surgery
    January, 18, 2011 | UCSF Pediatric Surgery
    Grants and Funding
- iSTAR Tregs | NIH | 2023-07-01 - 2027-06-30 | Role: Principal Investigator
- Genome editing of human pancreatic islets to withstand ischemic injuries and promote immune evasion | NIH | 2022-07-01 - 2027-04-30 | Role: Principal Investigator
- Stem cell-based modeling of type 1 diabetes to accelerate translation of therapies | NIH | 2025-01-01 - 2026-12-31 | Role: Co-Investigator
- Pancreatic Islets and Parathyroid Gland Co-transplantation for Treatment of Diabetes in the Intra-Muscular Site: PARADIGM | CIRM | 2019-07-01 - 2023-06-30 | Role: Co-investigator
- Islet transplant operational tolerance through minimization of ischemic injury and local immune regulation | JDRF | 2019-09-01 - 2021-08-31 | Role: PI
- Novel Therapies to Modulate the Inflammatory Alloresponse in Renal Grafts | NIAID | 2014-07-01 - 2021-06-30 | Role: Co-investigator
- Donor-Alloantigen-Reactive Regulatory T Cell Therapy in Liver Transplantation | NIH | 2014-06-01 - 2021-05-31 | Role: Co-Principal Investigator
- Diabetes Research Center | NIH | 2002-09-01 - 2021-03-31 | Role: Co-Investigator
- Engineering Treg cells to treat type 1 diabetes | Helmsley Charitable Trust | 2017-11-01 - 2020-10-31 | Role: PI
Research Interests
T-Lymphocyte Subsets
T-Lymphocytes
Suppressor-Effector
Autoimmunity
Islets of Langerhans Transplantation
Transplantation Immunology
Transplantation Tolerance
Immune Tolerance
Immunotherapy
Research Pathways
Publications
      MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 125
    
      
      - Face off: Stem cell therapy versus the immune system.| | PubMed PubMed
- Acquired immune tolerance 2.0.| | PubMed PubMed
- Rebalancing the Immune System to Treat Type 1 Diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Harnessing regulatory T cells to establish immune tolerance.| | PubMed PubMed
- Precise surface functionalization of PLGA particles for human T cell modulation.| | PubMed PubMed
- Epidermal Stem Cell Derived Exosomes Alleviate Excessive Autophagy Induced Endothelial Cell Apoptosis by Delivering miR200b-3p to Diabetic Wounds.| | PubMed PubMed
- Feasibility of an implantable bioreactor for renal cell therapy using silicon nanopore membranes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Regulatory T cells targeting a pathogenic MHC class II: Insulin peptide epitope postpone spontaneous autoimmune diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Donor antigen-specific regulatory T cell administration to recipients of live donor kidneys: A ONE Study consortium pilot trial.| | PubMed PubMed
- Regulatory T cells aid stem-cell therapy for Parkinson's disease.| | PubMed PubMed
- Replenishable prevascularized cell encapsulation devices increase graft survival and function in the subcutaneous space.| | PubMed PubMed
- Impact of interleukin-6 on T cells in kidney transplant recipients.| | PubMed PubMed
- The dichotomous outcomes of TNFα signaling in CD4+ T cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- Selective decrease of donor-reactive Tregs after liver transplantation limits Treg therapy for promoting allograft tolerance in humans.| | PubMed PubMed
- A Phase I/IIa study of autologous tolerogenic dendritic cells immunotherapy in kidney transplant recipients.| | PubMed PubMed
- Anti-HLA-A2-CAR Tregs prolong vascularized mouse heterotopic heart allograft survival.| | PubMed PubMed
- IL-6 and TNFα Drive Extensive Proliferation of Human Tregs Without Compromising Their Lineage Stability or Function.| | PubMed PubMed
- Lung transplant recipients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis have impaired alloreactive immune responses.| | PubMed PubMed
- Polyclonal Regulatory T Cell Manufacturing Under cGMP: A Decade of Experience.| | PubMed PubMed
- The effect of low-dose IL-2 and Treg adoptive cell therapy in patients with type 1 diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Precision Engineering of an Anti-HLA-A2 Chimeric Antigen Receptor in Regulatory T Cells for Transplant Immune Tolerance.| | PubMed PubMed
- The Role of Regulatory T Cells in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.| | PubMed PubMed
- Selective deletion of human leukocyte antigens protects stem cell-derived islets from immune rejection.| | PubMed PubMed
- A Comparison of Ex Vivo Expanded Human Regulatory T Cells Using Allogeneic Stimulated B Cells or Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- A human mutation in STAT3 promotes type 1 diabetes through a defect in CD8+ T cell tolerance.| | PubMed PubMed
- The CD28-Transmembrane Domain Mediates Chimeric Antigen Receptor Heterodimerization With CD28.| | PubMed PubMed
- Interleukin-6 blockade with tocilizumab increases Tregs and reduces T effector cytokines in renal graft inflammation: A randomized controlled trial.| | PubMed PubMed
- Solving the Puzzle of Immune Tolerance for β-Cell Replacement Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Functional CRISPR dissection of gene networks controlling human regulatory T cell identity.| | PubMed PubMed
- CAR-Tregs as a Strategy for Inducing Graft Tolerance.| | PubMed PubMed
- Novel In Situ Hybridization and Multiplex Immunofluorescence Technology Combined With Whole-slide Digital Image Analysis in Kidney Transplantation.| | PubMed PubMed
- Regulatory cell therapy in kidney transplantation (The ONE Study): a harmonised design and analysis of seven non-randomised, single-arm, phase 1/2A trials.| | PubMed PubMed
- Next-generation regulatory T cell therapy.| | PubMed PubMed
- Supporting Survival of Transplanted Stem-Cell-Derived Insulin-Producing Cells in an Encapsulation Device Augmented with Controlled Release of Amino Acids.| | PubMed PubMed
- NextGen cell-based immunotherapies in cancer and other immune disorders.| | PubMed PubMed
- NKG2C Natural Killer Cells in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Are Associated With Cytomegalovirus Viremia and Poor Outcomes in Lung Allograft Recipients.| | PubMed PubMed
- Adoptive Treg Cell Therapy in a Patient With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.| | PubMed PubMed
- Early expansion of donor-specific Tregs in tolerant kidney transplant recipients.| | PubMed PubMed
- Islet encapsulation therapy - racing towards the finish line?| | PubMed PubMed
- Regulatory T-cell therapy for autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases: The next frontier.| | PubMed PubMed
- Treg cells-the next frontier of cell therapy.| | PubMed PubMed
- Report of the Key Opinion Leaders Meeting on Stem Cell-derived Beta Cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- Stem Cell Therapies for Treating Diabetes: Progress and Remaining Challenges.| | PubMed PubMed
- Suppressed calcineurin-dependent gene expression identifies lung allograft recipients at increased risk of infection.| | PubMed PubMed
- Revealing the specificity of regulatory T cells in murine autoimmune diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Alloreactive fetal T cells promote uterine contractility in preterm labor via IFN-γ and TNF-α.| | PubMed PubMed
- Minimum Information about T Regulatory Cells: A Step toward Reproducibility and Standardization.| | PubMed PubMed
- Mitigating Ischemic Injury of Stem Cell-Derived Insulin-Producing Cells after Transplant.| | PubMed PubMed
- Nanoporous Immunoprotective Device for Stem-Cell-Derived β-Cell Replacement Therapy.| | PubMed PubMed
- Transplant trials with Tregs: perils and promises.| | PubMed PubMed
- Cutting Edge: Origins, Recruitment, and Regulation of CD11c+ Cells in Inflamed Islets of Autoimmune Diabetes Mice.| | PubMed PubMed
- Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Response of Silicon Nanopore-Immunoprotected Islets under Convective Transport.| | PubMed PubMed
- Islet-Derived CD4 T Cells Targeting Proinsulin in Human Autoimmune Diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Impact of Immune-Modulatory Drugs on Regulatory T Cell.| | PubMed PubMed
- Restoring Regulatory T Cells in Type 1 Diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Donor-Reactive Regulatory T Cell Frequency Increases During Acute Cellular Rejection of Lung Allografts.| | PubMed PubMed
- Virtual Global Transplant Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures for Blood Collection, PBMC Isolation, and Storage.| | PubMed PubMed
- Assessment of Immune Isolation of Allogeneic Mouse Pancreatic Progenitor Cells by a Macroencapsulation Device.| | PubMed PubMed
- Heightened Immune Activation in Fetuses with Gastroschisis May Be Blocked by Targeting IL-5.| | PubMed PubMed
- Silicon nanopore membrane (SNM) for islet encapsulation and immunoisolation under convective transport.| | PubMed PubMed
- Approaching a cure for type 1 diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Manipulating IL-2 and IL-2R in autoimmune diseases and transplantation.| | PubMed PubMed
- Type 1 diabetes immunotherapy using polyclonal regulatory T cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- Targeting Treg signaling for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.| | PubMed PubMed
- Therapeutic window of interleukin-2 for autoimmune diseases.| | PubMed PubMed
- Polycaprolactone Thin-Film Micro- and Nanoporous Cell-Encapsulation Devices.| | PubMed PubMed
- Immunotherapy: making the case for precision medicine.| | PubMed PubMed
- Increased maternal T cell microchimerism in the allogeneic fetus during LPS-induced preterm labor in mice.| | PubMed PubMed
- Therapeutic regulatory T cells subvert effector T cell function in inflamed islets to halt autoimmune diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Antigen recognition in the islets changes with progression of autoimmune islet infiltration.| | PubMed PubMed
- Interpretation of transplant biopsies and immune responses following Treg cell therapy.| | PubMed PubMed
- Fetal intervention increases maternal T cell awareness of the foreign conceptus and can lead to immune-mediated fetal demise.| | PubMed PubMed
- Regulatory T-cell therapy in transplantation: moving to the clinic.| | PubMed PubMed
- Direct and indirect antigen presentation lead to deletion of donor-specific T cells after in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation in mice.| | PubMed PubMed
- Altered balance between effector T cells and FOXP3+ HELIOS+ regulatory T cells after thymoglobulin induction in kidney transplant recipients.| | PubMed PubMed
- IRE1α induces thioredoxin-interacting protein to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome and promote programmed cell death under irremediable ER stress.| | PubMed PubMed
- Regulatory T-cell therapy for transplantation: how many cells do we need?| | PubMed PubMed
- CD4(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cell therapy in transplantation.| | PubMed PubMed
- B cell-derived IL-10 suppresses inflammatory disease in Lyn-deficient mice.| | PubMed PubMed
- Anti-CD3 therapy promotes tolerance by selectively depleting pathogenic cells while preserving regulatory T cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- Requirements for prolongation of allograft survival with regulatory T cell infusion in lymphosufficient hosts.| | PubMed PubMed
- The maternal immune response inhibits the success of in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation.| | PubMed PubMed
- Maternal T cells limit engraftment after in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation in mice.| | PubMed PubMed
- IL-2 reverses established type 1 diabetes in NOD mice by a local effect on pancreatic regulatory T cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- Prevention of diabetes by FTY720-mediated stabilization of peri-islet tertiary lymphoid organs.| | PubMed PubMed
- Interactions between PD-1 and PD-L1 promote tolerance by blocking the TCR-induced stop signal.| | PubMed PubMed
- Amplification of autoimmune response through induction of dendritic cell maturation in inflamed tissues.| | PubMed PubMed
- T regulatory cells in autoimmune diabetes: past challenges, future prospects.| | PubMed PubMed
- Spontaneous development of a pancreatic exocrine disease in CD28-deficient NOD mice.| | PubMed PubMed
- Central role of defective interleukin-2 production in the triggering of islet autoimmune destruction.| | PubMed PubMed
- The Foxp3+ regulatory T cell: a jack of all trades, master of regulation.| | PubMed PubMed
- Loss of integrin alpha(v)beta8 on dendritic cells causes autoimmunity and colitis in mice.| | PubMed PubMed
- Exendin-4 improves reversal of diabetes in NOD mice treated with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody by enhancing recovery of beta-cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- Mechanisms of PDL1-mediated regulation of autoimmune diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Insulin-induced remission in new-onset NOD mice is maintained by the PD-1-PD-L1 pathway.| | PubMed PubMed
- Regulatory T-cell physiology and application to treat autoimmunity.| | PubMed PubMed
- Suppression of disease in New Zealand Black/New Zealand White lupus-prone mice by adoptive transfer of ex vivo expanded regulatory T cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- Imaging the function of regulatory T cells in vivo.| | PubMed PubMed
- Plasmacytoid DCs and T(reg) cells: casual acquaintance or monogamous relationship?| | PubMed PubMed
- Antigen-specific regulatory T cells--ex vivo expansion and therapeutic potential.| | PubMed PubMed
- Ex vivo-expanded CD4+CD25+ immunoregulatory T cells prevent graft-versus-host-disease by inhibiting activation/differentiation of pathogenic T cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- Visualizing regulatory T cell control of autoimmune responses in nonobese diabetic mice.| | PubMed PubMed
- How do CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells control autoimmunity?| | PubMed PubMed
- Expansion of functional endogenous antigen-specific CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells from nonobese diabetic mice.| | PubMed PubMed
- Distinct roles of CTLA-4 and TGF-beta in CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell function.| | PubMed PubMed
- Therapeutic vaccination using CD4+CD25+ antigen-specific regulatory T cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- In vitro-expanded antigen-specific regulatory T cells suppress autoimmune diabetes.| | PubMed PubMed
- Notch 1 signaling regulates peripheral T cell activation.| | PubMed PubMed
- Cutting edge: CD28 controls peripheral homeostasis of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- CD28/B7 regulation of anti-CD3-mediated immunosuppression in vivo.| | PubMed PubMed
- CTLA-4 regulates the requirement for cytokine-induced signals in T(H)2 lineage commitment.| | PubMed PubMed
- The role of CD28 and CTLA4 in the function and homeostasis of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- The Src family kinase Fyn mediates signals induced by TCR antagonists.| | PubMed PubMed
- ERM-dependent movement of CD43 defines a novel protein complex distal to the immunological synapse.| | PubMed PubMed
- Antigen-specific blockade of T cells in vivo using dimeric MHC peptide.| | PubMed PubMed
- Development and applications of surface-linked single chain antibodies against T-cell antigens.| | PubMed PubMed
- Partial TCR signals delivered by FcR-nonbinding anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies differentially regulate individual Th subsets.| | PubMed PubMed
- T cell receptor-gamma/delta cells protect mice from herpes simplex virus type 1-induced lethal encephalitis.| | PubMed PubMed
- Proinflammatory functions of IL-2 in herpes simplex virus corneal infection.| | PubMed PubMed
- Interferon gamma regulates platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 expression and neutrophil infiltration into herpes simplex virus-infected mouse corneas.| | PubMed PubMed
- Ex vivo model of leukocyte migration into herpes simplex virus-infected mouse corneas.| | PubMed PubMed
- Inflammatory infiltration of the trigeminal ganglion after herpes simplex virus type 1 corneal infection.| | PubMed PubMed
- Involvement of LFA-1 and ICAM-1 in the herpetic disease resulting from HSV-1 corneal infection.| | PubMed PubMed
- Herpes simplex virus glycoproteins E and I facilitate cell-to-cell spread in vivo and across junctions of cultured cells.| | PubMed PubMed
- IL-8 gene expression in cultures of human corneal epithelial cells and keratocytes.| | PubMed PubMed
 
    