Jun Yan, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine; Scientist, James Graham Brown Cancer Center

Research Program
Tumor Immunobiology

Education
M.D., Jiangsu University School of Medicine, Medicine, 1985
M.S., Nanjing Medical University, Immunology, 1991
Ph.D., Shanghai Second Medical University, Immunology, 1997

Research and Professional Experience
1985-1988
Lecturer, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Jiangsu University School of Medicine

1991-1994
Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology, Jiangsu University School of Medicine

1997-1999
Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Experimental Immunology and Immunopathology, Department of Pathology, University of Louisville

1999-2001
Postdoctoral Associate, Section of Rheumatology and Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine

2001-2002
Associate Research Scientist, Section of Rheumatology and Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine

2003-2007
Assistant Professor, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, and Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Louisville

2007-present
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, and Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Louisville

Selected Awards and Professional Honors
1996
Third prize winner of dissertation in The Advanced Course and Symposium in Immunology, organized by IUIS, Beijing, China

1998
New Investigators Award by Clinical Immunology Society

1999-present
Member, American Association of Immunologists

1998-present
Member, Clinical Immunology Society

2002
Career Development Award, S.L.E. Foundation

2003
American Association of Immunologists Junior Faculty Travel Award

Research Interest

We seek to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of leukocyte recruitment and priming in tumor immunotherapy by utilizing a combination of anti-tumor mAb and yeast-derived polysaccharide b-glucan. This research focuses on tumor immunotherapy mediated by anti-tumor antibodies that bind to tumors and activate complement, and which have been shown to be enhanced by co-administration of yeast-derived b-glucan. Granulocytes were discovered to be effector cells for this combination therapy. We also are attempting to determine the mechanism of action of b-glucan in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell mobilization and radiation protection.

The second major area of interest in the lab involves the roles of B cells in the regulation of autoreactive T cell activation and tolerance using a murine systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) model. Knowledge gained from these studies has led us to develop effective vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases.

Publications

Yan J, Liu GZ, Xu HX. Studies on the mechanisms involved in the dendritic cell antigen presentation. J Immunol (Chinese) 15:95-7, 1995

Yan J, Liu GZ, Xu HX. Cytokines production involved in the dendritic cell antigen presentation. J Zhenjiang Med Col 4:1-4, 1995

Yan J, Xia S, Shao QX. Preliminary studies on extraction and purification of lipid angiogeneic factor. J Chin Biopharma 16:2-4, 1996

Yan J, Ma BL, Guo XC. Role of costimulatory molecule CD80 (B7-1) in the activation of T lymphocyte. J Chin Immunol 13:79-82, 1997

Yan J, Ma BL, Wang SY. Surface marker changes on the pre- and post- CD80 (B7-1) transfected human tumor cell lines. Chin J Tumor Biother 9:20-4, 1997

Yan J, Ma BL. Studies on the relationship between costimulatory molecule CD80 (B7-1) and CD54 (ICAM-I) in the T cell activation. J Shanghai Immunol 15:21-4, 1997

Yan J, Ma BL, Guo XC. CD80 (B7-1) expression on human tumor cell lines and its costimulatory signals for T cell proliferation and cytokine production. Chin Med J 111:269-71, 1998

Yan J, Ma BL. High-efficient allo-CTL induction with costimulatory molecule CD80 (B7-1) transfected human breast carcinoma cell line in vitro. J. Shanghai Immunol 16:1-4, 1998

Yan J, Vetvicka V, Xia Y, Coxon A, Carroll MC, Mayadas TN, Ross GD. Soluble beta-glucan, a “specific” biological response modifier that targets C3-opsonized tumors in vivo for cytotoxic activation of leukocyte CR3. J Immunol 163:3045-52, 1999

Xia Y, Vetvicka V, Yan J, Hanikyrova M, Mayadas T, Ross GD. The beta-glucan-binding lectin site of mouse CR3(CD11b/CD18) and its function in generating a primed state of the receptor that mediates cytotoxic activation in response to iC3b-opsonized target cells.