Chyung-Ru Wang

Chyung-Ru Wang serves as the Judy Gugenheim Research Professor in the Department of Microbiology-Immunology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Her work bridges immunology, infectious disease research, and cancer immunotherapy through investigations of MHC class Ib molecules and T cell responses.

Education

• PhD, University of Texas (1987)

Research Focus

Dr. Wang's laboratory investigates the immune function of MHC class Ib molecules in health and disease, with emphasis on T cell selection mechanisms and regulation. Her team explores how MHC class Ib-restricted T cells control autoimmunity, anti-tumor immunity, and infectious diseases while identifying microbial antigens for novel T cell-based vaccine development against pathogens like tuberculosis. Current work integrates lipid immunology, metabolic dysregulation, and epigenetic controls in immune responses.

Publication Trends

Recent publications (2022-2025) demonstrate consistent focus on lipid antigen recognition in mycobacterial infections, dyslipidemia's impact on immune function, and epigenetic regulation of T cells. These studies reveal connections between cholesterol metabolism and inflammatory conditions like psoriasis while advancing nanoparticle vaccine strategies for tuberculosis.

Honors

• Future Faculty Mentorship Award, University of Chicago (2006)
• Searle Scholar Award, The Searle family Trust and Chicago community Trust (1996)

Mentorship and Service

Dr. Wang mentors graduate students including Samantha Genardi (Driskill Graduate Program), focusing on bacterial infection responses. She serves as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Immunology (2022-present) and Editorial Board Member for eLife (2019-present), while contributing to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Collaboration for TB Vaccine Discovery since 2020.

Research Infrastructure

Her laboratory operates within Northwestern's Center for Human Immunobiology and participates in the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center's Immunology Initiative, accelerating translational research through the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Initiative.