Zhong Lab

Yi Zhong, M.D. & Ph.D.

Dr. Yi Zhong is a Research Assistant Member at the Center for Discovery and Innovation, and an Assistant Professor at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. His research focuses on unraveling the mysteries of cancer metastasis, specifically investigating the fundamental evolutionary mechanisms driving this process.

Dr. Zhong brings a wealth of experience in oncology, cell and molecular biology, animal surgery, and animal models. His work centers on developing a novel platform to interrogate organ-specific metastasis. This platform utilizes CRISPR-based lineage tracing, single-cell omics, and experimental metastasis assays in primary and matched metastatic pancreatic cancer cells. This innovative approach allows him to track cancer evolution and reveal organ-specific routes of metastasis.

Dr. Zhong's postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions focused on the molecular genetics and cell biology of pancreatic cancer using human and mouse models. As a Senior Research Scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, he investigated the mechanisms of pancreatic cancer metastasis using transgenic mouse models and human tissue correlates. Notably, he created the KPC/KPTC mouse model, demonstrating the molecular basis of oligometastatic pancreatic cancer and highlighting its potential for studying tumor evolution.

Using murine-derived pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) cell lines, Dr. Zhong's platform enables in-depth characterization of intratumor heterogeneity at various regulatory levels, defining cell populations within primary and metastatic cancers. This allows for a deeper understanding of the roles different cell populations play in metastatic progression, including identifying the factors that initiate metastasis and drive organotropism. Furthermore, the platform facilitates functional validation of candidate events using monoclonal cell line libraries, bridging the gap between large-scale 'omics' data and functional understanding of cellular behavior in pancreatic cancer metastasis, ultimately with the potential to inform therapeutic development.

Relevant Publications

1. Mathur D, Liao C, Lin W, La Ferlita A, Alaimo S, Taylor S, Zhong Y, Iacobuzio-Donahue C, Ferro A, Xavier JB. The ratio of key metabolic transcripts is a predictive biomarker of breast cancer metastasis to the lung. Cancer Res. 2023 Aug 1:CAN-23-0153. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-23-0153. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37526524.
2. Bechard ME, Smalling R, Hayashi A, Zhong Y, Word AE, Campbell SL, Tran AV, Weiss VL, Iacobuzio-Donahue C, Wellen KE, McDonald OG. Pancreatic cancers suppress negative feedback of glucose transport to reprogram chromatin for metastasis. Nat Commun. 2020 Aug 13;11(1):4055. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17839-5. PMID: 32792504; PMCID: PMC7426874.
3. Niknafs N†, Zhong Y†, Moral JA, Zhang L, Shao MX, Lo A, Makohon-Moore A, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA, Karchin R. Characterization of genetic subclonal evolution in pancreatic cancer mouse models. Nat Commun. 2019 Nov 28;10(1):5435. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-13100-w. PMID: 31780749; PMCID: PMC6882784. (†These authors contributed equally to this study.)
4. McDonald OG, Li X, Saunders T, Tryggvadottir R, Mentch SJ, Warmoes MO, Word AE, Carrer A, Salz TH, Natsume S, Stauffer KM, Makohon-Moore A, Zhong Y, Wu H, Wellen KE, Locasale JW, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA, Feinberg AP. Epigenomic reprogramming during pancreatic cancer progression links anabolic glucose metabolism to distant metastasis. Nat Genet. 2017 Mar;49(3):367-376. doi: 10.1038/ng.3753. Epub 2017 Jan 16. PMID: 28092686; PMCID: PMC5695682.
5. Zhong Y, Macgregor-Das A, Saunders T, Whittle MC, Makohon-Moore A, Kohutek ZA, Poling J, Herbst BT, Javier BM, Cope L, Leach SD, Hingorani SR, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA. Mutant p53 Together with TGFβ Signaling Influence Organ-Specific Hematogenous Colonization Patterns of Pancreatic Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2017 Mar 15;23(6):1607-1620. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-15-1615. Epub 2016 Sep 16. PMID: 27637888; PMCID: PMC5354987.
6. Zhong Y, Naito Y, Cope L, Naranjo-Suarez S, Saunders T, Hong SM, Goggins MG, Herman JM, Wolfgang CL, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA. Functional p38 MAPK identified by biomarker profiling of pancreatic cancer restrains growth through JNK inhibition and correlates with improved survival. Clin Cancer Res. 2014 Dec 1;20(23):6200-11. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-13-2823. Epub 2014 Jun 24. PMID: 24963048; PMCID: PMC4866510.
7. Kim MS†, Zhong Y†, Yachida S, Rajeshkumar NV, Abel ML, Marimuthu A, Mudgal K, Hruban RH, Poling JS, Tyner JW, Maitra A, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA, Pandey A. Heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer metastases in a single patient revealed by quantitative proteomics. Mol Cell Proteomics. 2014 Nov;13(11):2803-11. doi: 10.1074/mcp.M114.038547. Epub 2014 Jun 3. PMID: 24895378; PMCID: PMC4223473. (†These authors contributed equally to this study.)
8. Yachida S, White CM, Naito Y, Zhong Y, Brosnan JA, Macgregor-Das AM, Morgan RA, Saunders T, Laheru DA, Herman JM, Hruban RH, Klein AP, Jones S, Velculescu V, Wolfgang CL, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA. Clinical significance of the genetic landscape of pancreatic cancer and implications for identification of potential long-term survivors. Clin Cancer Res. 2012 Nov 15;18(22):6339-47. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-12-1215. Epub 2012 Sep 18. PMID: 22991414; PMCID: PMC3500447.
9. Yachida S, Vakiani E, White CM, Zhong Y, Saunders T, Morgan R, de Wilde RF, Maitra A, Hicks J, Demarzo AM, Shi C, Sharma R, Laheru D, Edil BH, Wolfgang CL, Schulick RD, Hruban RH, Tang LH, Klimstra DS, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA. Small cell and large cell neuroendocrine carcinomas of the pancreas are genetically similar and distinct from well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Am J Surg Pathol. 2012 Feb;36(2):173-84. doi: 10.1097/PAS.0b013e3182417d36. PMID: 22251937; PMCID: PMC3261427.
10. Yachida S, Zhong Y, Patrascu R, Davis MB, Morsberger LA, Griffin CA, Hruban RH, Laheru D, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA. Establishment and characterization of a new cell line, A99, from a primary small cell carcinoma of the pancreas. Pancreas. 2011 Aug;40(6):905-10. doi: 10.1097/MPA.0b013e3182207a58. PMID: 21768923; PMCID: PMC3180880.
11. Zhong Y, Wang Z, Fu B, Pan F, Yachida S, Dhara M, Albesiano E, Li L, Naito Y, Vilardell F, Cummings C, Martinelli P, Li A, Yonescu R, Ma Q, Griffin CA, Real FX, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA. GATA6 activates Wnt signaling in pancreatic cancer by negatively regulating the Wnt antagonist Dickkopf-1. PLoS One. 2011;6(7):e22129. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022129. Epub 2011 Jul 19. PMID: 21811562; PMCID: PMC3139620.
12. Zhong Y, Onuki J, Yamasaki T, Ogawa O, Akatsuka S, Toyokuni S. Genome-wide analysis identifies a tumor suppressor role for aminoacylase 1 in iron-induced rat renal cell carcinoma. Carcinogenesis. 2009 Jan;30(1):158-64. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgn255. Epub 2008 Nov 21. PMID: 19028700.
13. Zhong Y, Jiang L, Hiai H, Toyokuni S, Yamada Y. Overexpression of a transcription factor LYL1 induces T- and B-cell lymphoma in mice. Oncogene. 2007 Oct 18;26(48):6937-47. doi: 10.1038/sj.onc.1210494. Epub 2007 May 7. PMID: 17486074.

Complete List of Published Work in MyBibliography