On the afternoon of March 13, 2026, the 145th Biomed-X Research Seminar of ZJE was held in Room 2A-203, ZJE Building. At the invitation of Dean Yuehai KE of the Institute, Professor GEN-SHENG FENG, Director of the Institute of Cancer Research at Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, former Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and AAAS Fellow, delivered an academic report titled “Mechanistic Dissection and Immunotherapy of Liver Cancer”.
As a renowned oncology expert, Professor GEN-SHENG FENG boasts profound academic attainments and rich research experience. Opening his report, he recounted his academic experience at home and abroad and decades of research on liver cancer, sharing innovative immunotherapy findings from his long-term work. He first analyzed the "paradoxical dilemma" of immunotherapy, and based on his team’s research on IFN-γ-induced IDO-mediated tryptophan degradation, pointed out that IDO1 inhibitor clinical trials failed because the inhibitors, while boosting T cell immunity, induce tumor cell resistance to IFN-γ. He then presented the discovery and validation of protein tyrosine phosphatase Shp2, expounding its role as an EGFR signal enhancer and its translational pathway from target cloning to clinical trials—a landmark molecular biology achievement. Recently, his team identified a novel intercellular interaction-mediating vesicle (intercellsome), which is expected to enable the development of new liver cancer immunotherapies independent of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Faculty and students interacted actively during the event. Prof. FENG answered all questions, helping attendees better understand the field’s frontiers, innovations, and application prospects.
As the 145th session of the Biomed-X Seminar series, this report underscores the institute's commitment to fostering high-level academic exchanges through its academic brand building efforts. The institute will continue to provide a platform for faculty and students to engage in cutting-edge scientific discussions.
