Cong Xing

Postdoctoral Scientist in Immunology Discovery (Research Inflammation)

Mentored by Dr. Nan Yan Research project: Targeting innate immune checkpoint TREX1 for cancer immunotherapy • Developed scalable biochemical assays to enable high-throughput screening of TREX1 inhibitors • Demonstrated in vivo antitumor efficacy of a TREX1 inhibitor in syngeneic murine tumor models • Elucidated the mechanism of action via DNA accumulation and tumor-intrinsic cGAS activation • Assessed the immune safety of systemic TREX1 inhibition using an inducible mouse model • Designed and validated an autologous cancer vaccine that elicited robust antitumor T cell immunity • Profiled tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) using multi-color flow cytometry • Partnered with core facilities to perform histopathological analyses of drug-treated mice • Independently conceived, executed, and led the project to first-author publication in Cancer Research Research project: STING proton channel controls T cell death and tumor immune evasion • Established reporter cell lines and in vitro liposome assays to assess STING proton channel activity • Mapped key residues of the STING proton channel via a structure-guided mutation screen • Generated the first-in-field genetic mouse model to selectively block STING proton channel in vivo • Uncovered the physiological role of STING proton channel in driving T cell death in vitro and in vivo • Demonstrated the antitumor efficacy of STING proton channel blockade in syngeneic tumor models • Combined T cell functional assays and transcriptomic profiling to mechanistically define how the STING proton channel promotes tumor immune evasion • Led data synthesis and manuscript writing for submission to high-impact journals Collaborative projects: • Characterized immune profiles of mouse models of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases including lysosomal storage diseases, type I interferonopathies, SAVI, AGS, IBD, and Alzheimer’s disease • 7 publications in high-impact journals including Cell, Molecular Cell, Immunity, and Science Immunology

Mentored by Dr. Mingzhao Zhu • Optimized in vitro RNA transcription for efficient production of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) • Engineered RNA vaccines incorporating lncRNAs to enhance immunogenicity • Established AP205 virus-like particles (VLPs) for packaging and non-viral delivery of RNA vaccines

Mentored by Dr. Xuewu Zhang • Established a yeast surface display system for affinity maturation of protein binders • Engineered and diversified large-scale yeast display libraries using error-prone PCR • Designed, expressed, and purified recombinant proteins for biochemical and biophysical assays

Mentored by Dr. Mingzhou Chen • Performed immunofluorescence imaging to study processing body formation during EV71 infection • Characterized the roles of virus 2A and 3C proteases in host-viral interactions and virus replication

Mentored by Dr. Shih-chin (James) Cheng • Studied macrophage innate immune responses to Helicobacter pylori outer membrane vesicles • Conducted biochemical assays (qPCR, ELISA, Griess reaction) to assess immune responses • Gained experience in literature review and scientific presentation