Yi-Fen Lee

Yi-Fen Lee, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Urology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Her research focuses on extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly exosomes, in the context of urological cancers such as bladder and prostate cancer. She leads an active research laboratory investigating the roles of EVs in cancer development, progression, and treatment response.

• Department: Department of Urology
• School: School of Medicine and Dentistry
• University: University of Rochester

Dr. Lee earned her Ph.D. in Endocrinology/Molecular Oncology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by post-doctoral training in the Department of Pathology at the University of Rochester. Her research expertise spans molecular oncology, cancer biology, and biomarker discovery.

Her primary research interests include extracellular vesicles, exosomes, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, cancer immunotherapy (particularly BCG), chemoresistance (especially to cisplatin), proteomics, gene arrays, and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. Her lab studies how EVs mediate cell-cell communication in the tumor microenvironment, influence treatment response, and can serve as biomarkers for disease prognosis and therapy monitoring.

The analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a strong focus on the molecular mechanisms by which extracellular vesicles contribute to bladder and prostate cancer progression, metastasis, and treatment resistance. Her work integrates proteomics, functional studies, and clinical collaboration, particularly in the context of BCG immunotherapy and cisplatin chemotherapy. A recurring theme is the potential of EVs as liquid biopsy tools for precision medicine.

• Research Scholar
• Edwin Beer Fellowship Award (2003-2005)
• Cap CURE Award, Third Prize (2002)

Dr. Lee has been awarded grants, including a 2-year grant from The Hope Foundation. She actively mentors graduate students such as Md. Mahmudul Hasan Akash and Chia-Hao Wu. Her lab collaborates with URMC investigators and participates in the SWOG S1602 clinical trial. She utilizes advanced technologies like the Nanosight nanoparticle tracking system for EV analysis. Her future work aims to establish rapid body fluid biopsy assays to predict patient response to therapy and advance personalized medicine for urological cancers.

Her laboratory investigates several key projects: the role of EVs in bladder cancer metastasis, their involvement in cancer cell immunogenicity following BCG therapy, their contribution to cisplatin resistance, and their role in the bladder cancer field cancerization effect, where EVs reprogram normal cells to become malignant.