Description of Research Expertise

My research has focused on vascular function, inflammation, and tissue repair in the hypoxic microenvironment. My lab uses a multidisciplinary approach combining cell and molecular biology, genetics, and animal models to investigate the regulatory mechanisms underlying: 1) endothelial plasticity-driven aberrant vascularity and cardiac repair after myocardial infarction, and 2) vascular regulation of macrophage polarization, T cell infiltration, fibroblast activation, and stem cell function after cardiac injury. Rewiring vascular niche may offer promising opportunities for normalization of aberrant vasculature, stimulation of reparative immunity, and resolution of excessive inflammation in the ischemic microenvironment, eventually promoting cardiac repair after myocardial infarction.

Selected Publications

Xinye Ashley Zhao, Thomas Williamson, Yanqing Gong, *, Jonathan A. Epstein, * & Yi Fan*: Immunomodulatory therapy for ischemic heart diseases Circulation 150 (13) : 2024.

Yang F, Akhtar N, Zhang D, El-Mayta R, Shin J, Dorsey JF, Zhang L, Xu X, Guo W, Bagley SJ, Fuchs SY, Koumenis C, Lathia JD, Mitchell MJ, Gong Y*, & Fan Y*: An immunosuppressive vascular niche drives macrophage polarization and immunotherapy resistance in glioblastoma Science Advances 10(9):eadj4678 : 2024 .

Zhang D, Cleveland AH, Krimitza E, Han K, Yi C, Stout AL, Zou W, Dorsey JF, Gong Y*, Fan Y*: Spatial analysis of tissue immunity and vascularity by light sheet fluorescence microscopy Nature Protocols 19, pages1053–1082 : 2024.

Huang M., Yang F., Zhang D., Lin M., Duan H. EI-Mayta R., Zhang L., Qin L., Shewale S., Pei L., Mitchell M., Rader D., Fan Y*., Gong Y*.: Endothelial plasticity drives aberrant vascularization and impedes cardiac repair after myocardial infarction Nature Cardiovasc. Res. : 2022.

Wang L. Yao L. Duan H. Yang F. Lin M. Zhang R. He, Z. Ahn J. Fan Y. Qin L*. Gong Y*.: Plasminogen Regulates Fracture Repair by Promoting the Functions of Periosteal Mesenchymal Progenitors Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 36 (11): 2021.

Yang F, He Z, Duan H, Zhang D, Li J, Yang H, Dorsey JF, Zou W, Nabavizadeh SA, Bagley SJ, Abdullah K, Brem S, Zhang L, Xu X, Byrne KT, Vonderheide RH*, Gong Y*, & Fan Y*.: Synergistic immunotherapy of glioblastoma by dual targeting of IL-6 and CD40. Nat. Commun. 12 (1): 2021.

Ma W., Wang Y., Zhang R., Yang F., Zhang D., Huang, M., Zhang L., Dorsey J., Binder Z., O'Rourke D., Fraietta J., Gong Y*., Fan Y*., : Targeting PAK4 to reprogram the vascular microenvironment and improve CAR-T immunotherapy for glioblastoma. Nature Cancer : 2020.

Duan H, He Z, Lin M, Wang Y, Yang F, Mitteer, R, Kim H, Yeo E, Han H, Qin L, Fan Y, and Gong Y.: Plasminogen regulates mesenchymal stem cellmediated tissue repair after ischemia through cyr61 activation JCI insight 5 (15): 2020.

Gong Y*, Zhao Y, Li Y, Fan Y, Hoover-Plow J: Plasminogen regulates cardiac repair after myocardial infarction through its noncanonical function in stem cell homing to the infarcted heart. J Am Coll Cardiol 63 (25): 2862-2872,2014 .

Gong Y, Hart E, Shchurin A, Hoover-Plow J: Inflammatory macrophage migration requires MMP-9 activation by plasminogen in mice. J Clin Invest 118 (9): 3012-24,2008.

Academic Contact Information

Perelman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania
Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics
Smilow Center for Translational Research, Room 11-143
3400 Civic Center Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Pennsylvania, PA 19104
Phone: 215-746-3510