The CC-LY Lab is a joint research group led by Prof. Chong Chen and Prof. Yu (Kiki) Liu at the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Our lab focuses on cancer biology, aiming to uncover fundamental biological principles using cancer as a model system while translating discoveries into improved diagnostics and therapies for cancer patients.
Prof. Yu investigates the functional roles and mechanisms of chromosome copy number variations (CNVs) in tumorigenesis and treatment response. Her work has demonstrated that chromosome 17p deletions drive cancer development beyond the loss of p53, leading to the identification of novel tumor suppressor genes in this region, including PHF23 and ALOX15B (Nature 2016, Cancer Discovery 2021).
Prof. Chen studies epigenetic reprogramming and lineage plasticity in cancer evolution. He developed a series of primary, orthotopic, driver-defined, and immunocompetent cancer models using genetically engineered organoids, termed GEOMMs. Using these models, he discovered KMT2C (MLL3) as a tumor suppressor and revealed its role in lung cancer metastasis (Cancer Cell 2014, Nature Cancer 2022). He also identified a new form of lineage plasticity, “semi-squamatization,” linked to chemotherapy resistance (Cancer Cell 2022). Recently, his research expanded to acquired immunotherapy resistance mechanisms (PNAS 2025).
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