Rongfu Wang

Rongfu Wang is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC), and holds an Endowed Chair as Director of the Cell Therapy Research Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). He previously held professorships at Baylor College of Medicine (2000-2011) and Houston Methodist Research Institute (2011-2019). His research focuses on cancer immunotherapy, cancer antigen discovery, innate immune signaling, and epigenetic reprogramming of stem cells. He has discovered critical antigens like NY-ESO-1 and developed novel therapies including CAR-T/TCR-T cell engineering and SAPNANO nanoparticles.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, University of Georgia (1992)
• Postdoctoral Training: Stanford University School of Medicine (1994)
• Cancer Immunotherapy Fellowship: National Cancer Institute, NIH (1996)

Research Interests: Dr. Wang’s work bridges immunology and oncology, emphasizing:

• Cancer antigen identification and vaccine development
• Epigenetic control of T-cell differentiation
• Microbiota regulation of immunity
• Immunotherapy for cancer, infectious diseases, and Alzheimer’s

Publications: His >200+ articles include breakthroughs in Science, Cell, and Nature journals, focusing on immune signaling pathways, CAR-T engineering, and antigen-specific therapies.

Awards:

• President’s Award for Transformative Excellence (2016, 2013)
• Jack L. Titus Endowed Professorship (2007)
• Michael DeBakey Excellence in Research Award (2006)

Grants & Labs: Leads the Cell Therapy Research Program at CHLA and collaborates on NIH-funded projects. His lab pioneered the SAPNANO platform and investigates microbiota-immune interactions.