Quen Joshua Cheng

Quen Joshua Cheng serves as an HS Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). His academic career focuses on immunology research with particular emphasis on innate immunity, trained immunity, and signaling mechanisms in immune cells.

Dr. Cheng's research interests center on understanding the molecular mechanisms of immune memory, particularly how innate immune cells like macrophages and monocytes develop trained immunity responses. His work investigates NF-kB dynamics, epigenetic reprogramming, and interferon signaling pathways that determine immune cell responses to various stimuli. Recent research has explored how different ligands such as beta-glucans produce distinct training phenotypes through differential activation of signaling networks.

His publication record demonstrates a clear progression from HIV clinical research toward fundamental immunology mechanisms. The most cited work, NF-κB dynamics determine the stimulus specificity of epigenomic reprogramming in macrophages (2021), has garnered 66 citations, highlighting its significance in understanding how immune cells develop stimulus-specific memory.

• Principal Investigator: NFkB dynamics in the stimulus specificity of trained immunity (NIH/NIAID K08AI168567, 2022-2027)
• Co-Principal Investigator: Mechanisms of Trained Immunity in HIV Immune Responses (NIH/NIAID R21 AI172059, 2022-2024)

Dr. Cheng maintains an active research program with publications spanning from 2014 to 2025, showing consistent productivity and evolving focus from HIV clinical care to fundamental immunology mechanisms. His work bridges computational approaches with experimental immunology, as evidenced by publications in both high-impact journals like Science and specialized immunology publications.