Defu Zeng

Defu Zeng, Ph.D., is a Professor at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, holding dual appointments in the Department of Immunology & Theranostics and the Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. His research focuses on immune tolerance mechanisms in transplantation, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and β-cell regeneration in diabetes. He leads the Defu Zeng Lab, exploring novel therapies for autoimmune diseases and hematological malignancies.

Education: M.D. from Fujian Medical College (1985), Postdoctoral training at Stanford University (1993-1997). Career highlights include roles as Professor at City of Hope since 2013, and prior positions at Stanford University and Fujian Medical College.

Research Interests: GVHD pathogenesis, mixed chimerism for autoimmune therapy, β-cell regeneration in diabetic mice, GVL effects in leukemia, and radiation-free transplant conditioning. His work bridges basic immunology and clinical translation, with a focus on developing therapeutics for chronic GVHD and type 1 diabetes.

Recent Articles Trends: Focus on immune checkpoint modulation (PD-L1/CD80), Th17 cell biology in fibrosis, and translational models for GVHD. Highlights include novel insights into STAT3 deficiency and PD-L1 roles in GVHD prevention while preserving antitumor activity.

Awards/Memberships: Active in professional societies including the American Diabetes Association, American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, and Clinical Immunology Society.

Advising/Grants: Extensive grants and collaborations in GVHD, β-cell regeneration, and transplantation biology. No listed advisees, but mentors researchers in his lab teams. Collaborates with institutions like Stanford University and City of Hope's Hematology department.

Labs/Teams: Defu Zeng Lab at Beckman Research Institute, specializing in immune tolerance and transplantation immunology.