Biography
Prof. Hongping Xia
Prof. Hongping Xia
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, China
Title: Translational Study for Liver Carcinogenesis and Developing Novel Therapeutic Strategies
Abstract: 

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Recurrence, metastasis and chemoresistance are major obstacles to improve prognosis of HCC. We previously identified a panel of recurrence related microRNAs and found that overexpression of miR-216a/217 activates the PI3K/Akt and TGF-beta pathways by targeting PTEN and SMAD7, contributing to recurrence, metastasis and chemoresistance of HCC. Blocking the TGF-beta and PI3K/Akt pathway can overcome miR-216a/217-induced sorafenib resistance and tumor metastases in HCC. EMT is a key contributor to cancer metastasis and recurrence, which are the major obstacles to improve prognosis of HCC. We further identified that EDIL3 is a novel regulator of EMT controlling early recurrence of HCC. EDIL3 mediated activation of TGF-β and ERK signalling could provide therapeutic implications for HCC. We are screening hundreds of compounds against a panel of liver cancer cells and investigate drug resistance, combination and nanoparticle mediated targeted therapeutic strategies for combating HCC. Recently, we identified recurrent related metabolites in hundreds of primary liver tumor tissue through global metabolic profiling. Therefore, it is promising for combating liver cancer through translation study and personalized therapy.

Biography: 

Dr. Xia received his Ph.D from the University of Hong Kong in 2011 and have been a Visiting Scholar in the Medical University of Vienna, Vienna General Hospital (AKH) in 2010. He has been a Clinician Scientist of Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College and National Cancer Center Singapore (NCCS). He was recruited as a Professor in Nanjing Medical University in 2017 by the National Young 1000 Talents Program of China. Dr. Xia’s research focuses on Molecular Pathology and Translational Medicine. He has been the Principal Investigator of several national grants, such as The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), National Medical Research Council (NMRC) and SingHealth Foundation of Singapore. He is an Associate Member of American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Editorial Board Member of the Clinical and Molecular Hepatology, Glioma, Hepatoma Reseach, etc.