Mingdian Tan

Research Scientist @ Stanford University

About

Research Scientist · Stanford University School of Medicine | Drug Discovery · Oncology · Immunotherapy · AI Therapeutics I develop cancer therapies — from AI-driven compound screening to preclinical validation — focused on closing the gap between laboratory insight and clinical impact. At Stanford's Asian Liver Center, I lead translational programs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): engineering novel prodrugs, building AI discovery pipelines, and investigating tumor immunity. Recent highlights: · Co-first author — Cell (March 2026): GPS deep-learning platform for AI-driven drug discovery in HCC (just published) · First & corresponding author — BioRxiv (2026): "A Niclosamide Prodrug SSL-0024 with Enhanced Bioavailability Suppresses Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Multi-Pathway Signaling Inhibition" · First & co-corresponding author — British Journal of Pharmacology (2025): Niclosamide prodrug targeting Vasorin-TGFβ signaling in HCC · 18+ peer-reviewed publications · 101+ peer reviews · Patent contributor Skills: CRISPR/Cas9 · PDX & xenograft models · Flow cytometry · PK/PD · High-throughput screening · NGS · AI in small-molecule modeling Roles: Associate Editor, BJC Reports · Executive Committee, CABS · Stanford TRAM Award ($40K) Open to: industry collaborations · speaking invitations · advisory roles · translational partnerships

Country

United States

City

Stanford

Industry

Biotechnology

Skill

Clinical Development, Therapeutic Areas, Mechanobiology, Therapeutics, Bioavailability, Cross-sector Collaboration, Translational Research, Candidate Selection, Nanomedicine, Chemotherapy, Transcriptional Regulation, Biotechnology Industry, Functional Genomics, Cross-functional Collaborations, Biotherapeutics, Small Molecules, Cell Biology, Discovery Process, Bioengineering, Yeast Culture & Biosensor Construction

Experience

Research Scientist

Stanford University

2024-9 - 2026-3 · 1 yr 7 mos

Stanford, California, United States

1. Led AI-driven discovery and preclinical development of anti-tumor compounds — coordinating end-to-end programs from high-throughput screening to in vivo validation, PK/PD studies, and toxicity assessment Developed peptide inhibitors targeting CDC37/HSP90 interaction, advancing two candidates to preclinical testing; co-first author paper in Cell (2026) 2. Investigated γδT cell roles in tumor immunity and tumor microenvironment dynamics post-treatment 3. Engineered HCC animal models (xenograft, PDX liver transplantation) and performed gene manipulation via CRISPR/Cas9 4. Coordinated industry-academic partnerships and external service contracts with Stanford and pharmaceutical companies 5. Mentored high school summer camp students in anti-cancer drug screening

Postdoctoral

Stanford University

2020-4 - 2024-9 · 4 yrs 6 mos

California, United States

1. Pioneered AI-driven screening for novel prodrug design — first & corresponding author, British Journal of Pharmacology (2025) and BioRxiv (2026): SSL-0024 niclosamide prodrug for HCC 2. Conducted pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, toxicity, and in vivo efficacy studies for prodrug candidates; contributed to patent submission 3. Investigated colon cancer metastasis to liver, deciphering cancer metastasis mechanisms via pan-cancer transcriptomic comparison; co-first author manuscript under review at Nature Communications 4. Secured $40K Stanford TRAM Award (2021–2023) through independent grant writing 5. Managed lab compliance including controlled substance reporting, supply chain, and IACUC/IRB protocols

Postdoctoral Researcher

University of California, Berkeley

2019-4 - 2020-4 · 1 yr 1 mo

Berkeley

1. Designed and executed stereotaxic brain injections for protein overexpression in murine models, investigating neurological disease pathways linked to aging and metabolism 2. Led preclinical behavioral studies and histological analyses across interdisciplinary aging research programs 3. Co-author — Cell Metabolism (2020): NLRP3 inflammasome acetylation switch regulating aging-associated chronic inflammation and insulin resistance

Assistant researcher

Tongji University Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji Medical School

2018-7 - 2019-2 · 8 mos

Shanghai, China

1. Investigated tumor-derived exosome mechanisms in drug resistance and metastasis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC); co-corresponding author — Translational Cancer Research (2020) 2.Trained and guided PhD and master's students in molecular and cellular biology techniques, experimental troubleshooting, and data interpretation