Chengyu Liang

Chengyu Liang, M.D., Ph.D., is a Professor and Program Co-Leader in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program at the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, The Wistar Institute, where she joined in 2020. Her research focuses on fundamental cellular mechanisms in cancer, inflammation, and infection, with an emphasis on autophagy, genomic stability, membrane trafficking, and virus-host interactions. Prior to joining Wistar, she was a tenured Associate Professor at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, where she established her lab in 2009.

• Education: M.D. from Qingdao University School of Medicine, China; Ph.D. in Genetics from SUNY Stony Brook; Postdoctoral training in Tumor Virology at Harvard Medical School.
• Affiliation: The Wistar Institute, Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center.

Dr. Liang’s research centers on the role of the tumor suppressor gene UVRAG in autophagy, DNA repair, and chromosomal stability. Her lab investigates how dysregulation of autophagy and related pathways contributes to melanoma, leukemia, and colorectal cancer progression and therapy resistance. A major focus is understanding UV-induced mutagenesis and the molecular basis of melanoma aggressiveness, including therapy resistance and immune evasion. The lab also explores how autophagy intersects with intracellular trafficking and viral persistence.

The selected publications highlight a strong trajectory in understanding UVRAG’s multifaceted roles—from orchestrating membrane dynamics and autophagy to maintaining genomic integrity and enabling DNA repair. Collectively, her work bridges cancer biology, cell biology, and virology, with a translational focus on melanoma and treatment resistance. The research themes are highly interdisciplinary, involving molecular mechanisms of autophagy, stress response, and tumor suppression.

Dr. Liang has trained numerous postdoctoral fellows and graduate students who have gone on to academic and industry positions. She leads an active research group including associate staff scientists, postdoctoral fellows, bioinformatics technicians, research assistants, and predoc trainees. The lab is actively recruiting motivated Ph.D. graduates.

Her scientific contributions have been recognized through publications in high-impact journals such as Nature Cell Biology, Molecular Cell, and Nature Communications. While specific awards are not listed in the provided text, her research has been supported by institutional and external funding, enabling seed projects and high-risk/high-gain investigations. The Wistar Institute emphasizes translational research, and her work is aligned with bench-to-bedside strategies to improve melanoma therapies.

The Liang Laboratory is exploring future directions in melanoma biology, aiming to identify biomarkers for early detection, understand differential therapy responses, and develop strategies to reprogram cancer cells toward differentiation. The lab’s work is central to advancing precision oncology and improving outcomes for melanoma patients.