Description of Research Expertise

My research focuses on the vascular and immune regulation of tissue damage and repair. Specifically, we study: (1) endothelial plasticity and its role in aberrant vascularization during cardiac repair following myocardial infarction; (2) vascular regulation of macrophage-driven inflammation or immunosuppression; and (3) cardiotoxic effects of radiation and immunotherapy. By targeting the dynamic interactions between stromal and immune cells, our goal is to develop novel therapeutic strategies for cancer and ischemic heart disease.

Selected Publications

Ni H, Reitman ZJ, Zou W, Akhtar MN, Paul R, Huang M, Zhang D, Zheng H, Zhang R, Ma R, Ngo G, Zhang L, Diffenderfer ES, Motlagh SAO, Kim MM, Minn AJ, Dorsey JF, Foster JB, Metz J, Koumenis C, Kirsch DG*, Gong Y*, Fan Y*: FLASH radiation reprograms lipid metabolism and macrophage immunity and sensitizes medulloblastoma to CAR-T cell therapy Nature Cancer 6 (3): 460-473,2025.

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 .

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