Ying-Chun Lo, M.D., Ph.D.

Location

Contact

SUMMARY

Ying-Chun Lo, M.D., Ph.D., studies lung cancer using immunology and molecular approaches. These approaches include exploration of companion diagnostic biomarkers, molecular characterization and risk stratification of patients with lung cancer. His research interests are in developing better predictive, diagnostic and prognostic tools for lung cancer immunotherapy and targeted therapies.

Dr. Lo is also researching the expression profile and computational pathology of non-neoplastic pulmonary conditions, especially interstitial lung diseases and lung transplants. Additionally, he is interested in molecular diagnostic applications and new test development for all solid tumors.

Focus areas

• Lung cancer. Lung cancer has traditionally been a leading cause of cancer deaths. However, with the recent advancement of immunotherapy and targeted therapy, many people with lung cancer have significantly improved outcomes. Dr. Lo is working on developing better predictive and diagnostic tools for lung cancer.
• Molecular diagnoses of solid tumors. Dr. Lo investigates molecular mechanisms of solid tumors. He uses next-generation sequencing, ribonucleic acid (RNA) expression profiling, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and other molecular techniques to further understand the tumorigeneses of solid tumors and seek targets for treatment.
• Cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Lo studies biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy and adverse effects of immunotherapies. Immunohistochemistry markers such as PD-L1, morphology of tumor infiltrate lymphocytes, and molecular biomarkers such as tumor mutation burden are some of the targets studied. He also characterizes the adverse effects of cancer immunotherapy in the lung among other organs.
• Non-neoplastic pulmonary conditions. Dr. Lo explores novel diagnostic approaches including molecular and proteomic techniques to understand the mechanisms of interstitial lung diseases. He also extends his research efforts to correlate clinical and pathological findings in lung transplants.
• Computational pathology. Dr. Lo is interested in the development of computational pathology, digital pathology, and machine learning using pathology images and molecular databases. These fields will facilitate the new era of pathology workflow, improve efficacy and accuracy, and ultimately benefit patient care.

Significance to patient care

Dr. Lo's research intends to understand the mechanisms of pulmonary diseases and their interaction with the body. By integrating novel molecular technologies and computational pathology with traditional morphological pathology, his research aims to develop better diagnostic tools and identify better treatment strategies for patients to increase efficacy and avoid adverse effects.

Professional highlights

• Honoree, 40 Under Forty, American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2020
• Recipient, Young Investigator Award, Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) Europe, 2020
• Second place, Best Abstract Award, The International Association of Chinese Pathologists Annual Meeting, 2020
• Recipient, Pathologist-in-Training Travel Award, United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, 2016
• Recipient, Trainee Abstract Award, 99th annual meeting, The American Association of Immunologists, 2012