Research Summary
Dr. Mei is the first investigator who discovered and reported that Protein Functional Effector sncRNA (pfeRNA) is a type of novel functional sncRNAs. From its discovery to application, her contributions have developed mature methods for extraction, purification, measurement, and functional analysis of pfeRNA.
Dr. Mei’s long-term research goal is to discover non-invasive biomarker and therapeutic targets to improve the early detection and treatment of cancer patients. Specifically, her research team aims to define the role of pfeRNA on its target proteins in tumorigenesis and cancer development of lung cancer.
Another line of her research is understanding the functional effects of pfeRNA in immune pathways for patients treated with immunotherapy. Dr. Mer and her team are investigating the mechanistic link underlying PD-1/L1 axis and attempt to identify critical pfeRNAs as treatment predictors and therapeutic targets in selecting the optimal candidates in terms of efficacy and tolerance.
Selected Publications
View all on PubMed
Liu W, Wang Y, Huang H, Fackche N, Rodgers K, Lee B, et al., Mei Y. A Cost-Effective and Non-Invasive pfeRNA-Based Test Differentiates Benign and Suspicious Pulmonary Nodules from Malignant Ones. Non-oding RNA 2021; 7: 80-93
Zhi H, Zhou J, et al., Mei Y, et al., Brock M. Epigenetic modifiers inhibit lung metastases by disrupting pre-metastatic niches. Nature 2020; 579: 284-290
Brock M, Mei Y. Protein functional effector sncRNAs (pfeRNAs) in lung cancer. Cancer Lett. 2017; 403:138-143
Gable T, Wang Y, Clark D, Kumari P, Shetty A, Mao L, Mei Y. A phosphorylation-wide sncRNA screen reveals Protein Functional Effector sncRNAs (pfeRNAs) in human lung somatic cells. Cancer Lett. 2017; 396: 85-93
Wang Y, Gable T, Ma M, Clark D, Zhao J, Zhang Y, Liu W, Mao L, Mei Y. A piRNA-like small RNA induces chemoresistance to cisplatin-based therapy by inhibiting apoptosis in lung squamous cell carcinoma. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2017; 6: 269-278
