Ling Wang

Ling Wang is an Associate Professor in the Infectious, Inflammatory and Immunologic Disease Department of Internal Medicine at East Tennessee State University. She holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from Wuhan University (2002) and a BS in Genetics (1995). Her postdoctoral training at UNC Chapel Hill (2002-2009) focused on tumor virology and immunology, followed by roles as a Research Scientist at the University of Miami (2010-2014) before joining ETSU.

Her research explores chronic viral infections (HIV, HCV, KSHV, EBV), innate immune dysfunction, and their oncogenic pathways. Key areas include KSHV's K1 protein in tumor formation, EBV's manipulation of innate immunity via IRF7/4, and HCV/HIV-driven immune exhaustion. She investigates mechanisms linking viral infections to cancers and chronic diseases worldwide.

Recent work focuses on viral epitope identification using convalescent plasma, p62's role in oncogenesis, and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein inhibition. Her research bridges virology, immunology, and cancer biology, with implications for antiviral therapies and cancer treatment strategies.

Major findings include K1's role in VEGF/MMP-9-driven angiogenesis, cGAS-STING pathway modulation in EBV latency, and HCV-induced MDSC-driven T-cell suppression. Her team collaborates internationally to advance understanding of virus-host interactions.