Evan Lien

Evan Lien, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming at Van Andel Institute (VAI). His research focuses on how dietary interventions impact tumor metabolism, growth, and therapy responses in cancer. Key areas include lipid metabolism pathways, tumor microenvironment dynamics, and translating findings into clinical strategies. Dr. Lien earned his Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Harvard University, followed by postdoctoral training at MIT’s Koch Institute under Matthew Vander Heiden. He leads the Lien Laboratory, which explores three core research lines: profiling diet-induced metabolic changes in tumors, exploring metabolic pathway regulation, and developing dietary strategies to enhance cancer therapies.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard University (Advisor: Alex Toker)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, MIT Koch Institute (Advisor: Matthew Vander Heiden)
• Key Research Themes:
  • Metabolic reprogramming in cancer
  • Lipid metabolism and dietary influences
  • Therapeutic applications of metabolic insights

His publications highlight breakthroughs such as linking low-glycemic diets to altered lipid metabolism and tumor growth inhibition, and identifying lipid availability’s role in cancer cell ferroptosis sensitivity. Dr. Lien’s work has been recognized through prestigious awards, including the Damon Runyon Fellowship and NCI K99/R00 grant.

• Laboratory Team: Includes postdoctoral fellows (e.g., Yujin Jeong, Rachel House), graduate students (Samuel Daniels), and research technicians.
• Collaborations: Active projects with VAI’s Metabolism & Nutritional Programming (MNP) department and clinical trials through the VAI-SU2C Epigenetics Dream Team.

Future directions emphasize translating metabolic discoveries into actionable clinical strategies and expanding studies on aging’s effects on metabolic pathways.