Jing Hu, Ph.D., joined School of Life Science at Peking University and the Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences as a Principle Investigator in 2023. Dr. Hu received her bachelor degree from School of Life Sciences at Peking University in 2009 and Ph.D. degree from Dr. Xiao-Fan Wang’s lab in Molecular Cancer Biology Program at Duke University Medical Center in 2015. From 2016-2023, Dr. Hu was trained as a postdoc fellow and senior research scientist in Dr. Joan Massagué lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Hu’s long-term research interest is to examine molecular mechanisms that regulate tumorigenesis and metastasis. She has published origial studies in the field of cancer stem cells, metastasis and tumor immunology. The major focus of the Hu lab is to study how early-stage metastatic cells survive and develop into late-stage aggressive metastasis, with an ultimate goal of developing therapeutic approaches for metastasis prevention.

2009.08-2015.05, Ph.D., Molecular Cancer Biology Program, Duke University
2004.09-2009.07, B.S., School of Life Sciences, Peking University

2023.08-Present, Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, Peking University
2023.08-Present, Priciple Investigator, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences
2021.04-2023.07, Senior Research Scientist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
2016.01-2021.04, Postdoc Fellow, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
2015.06-2015.11, Postdoc Fellow, Duke University

2023 Bayer Investigator
2023 Yifang Investigator
2020 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Society Scholar Award
2019-2020 Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation Postdoc Fellowship
2016-2018 GMTEC’s Metastasis Scholars Postdoc Fellowship
2016 Duke University Fitzgerald Scholar Award

Metastasis is the principal cause of death from cancer. Cancer treatments include surgical resection of the primary tumor and systemic therapies. Although no metastasis is detected at the time of diagnosis of early-stage patients, metastatic relapse frequently develops after a period of dormancy. These recurrences are thought to be due to disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) that remain dormant until triggered to re-awake and reinitiate metastatic outgrowth. After disseminated from primary tumor, DTCs encounter major hurdles that prevent their outgrowth in distal organs. They survive by entering a state of metastatic dormancy and eventually progress toward clinically detectable metastases. Targeting metastatic dormancy provides a unique therapeutic window for metastasis prevention.

The Hu lab is interested in studying mechanisms regulating metastasis. We will establish animal models, and combine approaches including molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology and sequencing technologies to dissect the molecular and cellular basis that regulate progression of dormant metastasis into overt metastatic relapse. Specifically, we are interested in:
1. Identifying molecular factors that regulate survival of dormant disseminated tumor cells and immune evasion during metastatic progression
2. Investigating interactions among disseminated tumor cells and the surrounding tumor microenvironment
3. Exploring potential diagnostic and treatment approaches for cancer patients with early-stage metastasis

1. Hu J. Stress-induced metastasis: The NET effect. Cancer Cell. 2024, 42(3):335-337.
2. Hu J, Sánchez-Rivera F, Wang Z, Johnson G, Ho Y, Ganesh K, Umeda S, Gan S, Mujal A, Delconte R, Hampton J, Zhao H, Kottapalli S, de Stanchina E, Iacobuzio-Donahue C, Pe’er D, Lowe S, Sun J, Massagué J. STING inhibits the reactivation of dormant metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma. Nature. 2023, 616, 806-813.
Research highlighted by: Cancer Discovery, June 2023; Science Signaling, Apr 2023.
3. Hu J, Sun T, Wang H, Chen Z, Wang S, Liu T, Yuan L, Li HR, Wang P, Feng Y, Wang Q, McLendon RE, Friedman AH, Keir ST, Bigner DD, Rathmell J, Fu SD, Li QJ, Wang H, Wang XF. miR-215 is induced post-transcriptionally via HIF-Drosha complex and mediates glioma-initiating cell adaptation to hypoxia by targeting KDM1B. Cancer Cell. 2016, 29(1): 49-60.
Research highlighted by Cell Cycle, Apr 2016; Science Signaling, Jan 2016.
4. Wang H*, Sun T*, Hu J*, Zhang R, Rao Y, Wang S, Chen R, McLendon RE, Friedman AH, Keir ST, Bigner DD, Li QJ, Wang H, Wang XF. miR-33a promotes glioma-initiating cell self-renewal via PKA and NOTCH pathways. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2014, 124(10): 4489-502. *Equal contributions.
5. Achinger-Kawecka J, Correa S, Hu J, Li G, Lindeboom R, Misale S, Monkkonen T, Nirmal A, Prekovic S, Sinha S, Trigos A, Watson C. The 2023 generation. Nature Cancer. 2023, 4(12):1630-1635.
6. Tello-Lafoz M, Srpan K, Sanchez E, Hu J, Remsik J, Romin Y, Calò A, Hoen D, Bhanot U, Morris L, Boire A, Hsu K, Massagué J, Huse M, Er E. Cytotoxic lymphocytes target characteristic biophysical vulnerabilities in cancer. Immunity. 2021, S1074-7613(21)00086-8.
7. Laughney A, Hu J, Campbell N, Bakhoum S, Setty M, Lavallée V, Xie Y, Masilonis I, Carr A, Allaj V, Mattar M, Rekhtman N, Xavier J, Mazutis L, Poirier J, Rudin C, Pe’er D, Massagué J. Regenerative lineages and immune-mediated pruning in lung cancer metastasis. Nature Medicine. 2020, 26(2):259-269.
8. Huang Y, Hu J, Chen F, Lecomte N, Basnet H, David C, Witkin M, Allen P, Leach S, Hollmann T, Lacobuzio-Donahue, C Massagué J. ID1 mediates escape from TGF-β tumor suppression in pancreatic cancer. Cancer Discovery. 2020, 10(1):142-157.
9. Aragón E, Wang Q, Zou Y, Morgani S, Ruiz L, Kaczmarska Z, Su J, Torner C, Tian L, Hu J, Shu W, Agrawal S, Gomes T, Márquez J, Hadjantonakis A, Macias M, Massagué J. Structural basis for distinct roles of SMAD2 and SMAD3 in FOXH1 pioneer-directed TGF-β signaling. Genes & Development. 2019, 33(21-22):1506-1524.
10. Er E, Valiente M, Ganesh K, Zou Y, Agrawal S, Hu J, Griscom B, Rosenblum M, Boire A, Brogi E, Giancotti F, Schachner M, Malladi S, Massagué J. Pericyte-Like Spreading by Disseminated Cancer Cells Activates YAP and MRTF for Metastatic Colonization. Nature Cell Biology. 2018, 20(8): 966-978.
11. Yuan L, Zhai L, Qian L, Huang D, Ding Y, Xiang H, Liu X, Thompson W, Liu J, He YH, Chen XQ, Hu J, Kong QP, Tan M, Wang XF. Switching off IMMP2L Signaling Drives Senescence via Simultaneous Metabolic Alteration and Blockage of Cell Death. Cell Research. 2018, 28(6): 625-643. Cover article.
12. Hu J, Wang XF. HIF-miR-215-KDM1B promotes glioma-initiating cell adaptation to hypoxia. Cell Cycle. 2016, 15(15):1939-40.
13. Hu J, Markowitz GJ, Wang XF. Noncoding RNAs Regulating Cancer Signaling Network. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 2016;927:297-315.
14. Hu J, Markowitz GJ, Wang XF. Isolation of Glioma-Initiating Cells for Biological Study. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 2016;899:197-209.
15. Tong X, Xia Z, Zu Y, Telfer H, Hu J, Yu J, Liu H, Zhang Q, Sodmergen, Lin S, Zhang B. ngs (notochord granular surface) gene encodes a novel type of intermediate filament family proein essential for notochord maintenance in zebrafish. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2013, 288(4): 2711-20.

Laboratory Introduction