معرفی
Sidi Chen is an Associate Professor of Genetics and Neurosurgery at Yale University, with primary appointment in the Department of Genetics and secondary appointment in Neurosurgery. He is a member of the Yale Cancer Center, Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology, and Yale Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology. Chen directs a research laboratory focused on developing innovative approaches to cancer immunotherapy through genome editing and high-throughput screening technologies.
His educational background includes:
- Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT (2015)
- Visiting Postdoc, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (2015)
- PhD, The University of Chicago (2011)
- Visiting Student, Stanford University (2009)
Dr. Chen's research focuses on providing a global understanding of biological systems and developing novel breakthrough therapeutics. His work centers on genome editing and high-throughput screening technologies, precision CRISPR-based in vivo models of cancer, and global mapping of functional drivers of cancer oncogenesis and metastasis. He leads a research group seeking to understand the molecular and cellular factors controlling disease progression and immunity. His lab continuously invents versatile systems for rapid identification of novel targets and development of new modalities of cancer immunotherapy, cell therapy, and gene therapy. Specific research programs include immune gene therapy (MAEGI), immune cell engineering, CRISPR screening for immunotherapy target discovery, and viral immunology related to COVID-19.
Dr. Chen's recent publications reveal a strong focus on advancing CRISPR-based technologies for cancer immunotherapy. His work spans multiple areas including in vivo CRISPR screening, immune cell engineering (particularly CAR-T and CAR-NK cells), and development of novel immunotherapies like MAEGI (Multiplexed Activation of Endogenous Genes as Immunotherapy). A significant portion of his recent work involves applying these technologies to understand and overcome resistance to current immunotherapies. His research increasingly integrates metabolomics and single-cell analysis to uncover new mechanisms of immune cell function in cancer.
Dr. Chen has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing his innovative research:
- Pershing Square Sohn Prize
- DoD Era of Hope Scholar Award
- NIH Director's New Innovator Award
- Blavatnik Innovator Award
- Yale Cancer Center Basic Science Research Prize
- AACR NextGen Award for Transformative Cancer Research
- Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fellow
- Sontag Foundation Distinguished Scientist Award
Dr. Chen actively mentors students and postdocs through Yale's MD-PhD, BBS/Genetics, and BBS/Immunobiology programs. His laboratory is well-funded by multiple sources including the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, The Mary Kay Foundation, Ludwig Family Foundation, Melanoma Research Alliance, and numerous other organizations. His research program supports several research tracks focusing on gene editing, immune cell engineering, and viral immunology, with dedicated teams for each major research direction.
Dr. Chen directs the Sidi Chen Laboratory located at the Integrated Science and Technology Center in West Haven, CT. His lab comprises multiple interdisciplinary teams working on different aspects of cancer immunology and gene editing technologies. The lab maintains strong collaborations with the Yale Cancer Center, Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology, and Yale Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology. Current lab members include computational biologists, viral therapy scientists, cell therapy scientists, and laboratory technicians working together to advance next-generation cancer immunotherapies.