Rong Shao

Rong Shao serves as an Adjunct Research Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, focusing on tumor vascularization mechanisms and cancer progression biomarkers.

Education:

• Ph.D. from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science
• M.S. from Shanghai Second Medical University
• M.D. from Shanghai Second Medical University

Her research centers on tumor angiogenesis, investigating how the glycoprotein YKL-40 promotes vascular endothelial cell formation to drive tumor growth and metastasis in breast cancer. She also explores vasculogenic mimicry (VM) in glioblastoma, where stem-like cells transdifferentiate into vascular support cells. These studies aim to identify diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets through neutralizing antibodies and molecular pathway analysis.

Professional Activities:

• Develops YKL-40 as a prognostic biomarker for breast cancer
• Investigates anti-YKL-40 antibody therapies for tumor inhibition
• Studies glioblastoma stem cell transdifferentiation mechanisms in VM