Email

fyang@bcm.edu

Positions

Associate Professor

Pathology and Immunology
Baylor College of Medicine

Associate Professor

Molecular & Cellular Biology
Baylor College of Medicine

Faculty Member

Cancer & Cell Biology Graduate Program and Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics Graduate Program
Baylor College of Medicine

Faculty Senator

Baylor College of Medicine

Member

Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Baylor College of Medicine

Education

PhD from Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Beijing, China

Postdoctoral Training at Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, Texas United States

Honors & Awards

Idea Development Award

DOD, Prostate Cancer Research Program, 2023

Research Project Grant (R01)

NCI/NIH, 2023

Individual Investigator Research Award

Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, 2020

Breakthrough Award Funding Level 2

DOD, Breast Cancer Research Program, 2017

Collaborative Research Project with AHMMRF

Adrienne Helis Malvin Medical Research Foundation, 2015

Idea Development Award

DOD, Prostate Cancer Research Program, 2013

Individual Investigator Research Award

Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, 2013

Idea Development Award

DOD, Prostate Cancer Research Program, 2013

New Investigator Award

DOD, Prostate Cancer Research Program, 2009

Concept Award

DOD, Breast Cancer Research Program, 2009

Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award

DOD, Prostate Cancer Research Program, 2007

Professional Interests

• MAPK4 biology in human cancers
• Signaling Pathways Regulating Prostate Cancer
• Therapy-resistance of Human Cancers
• Mouse Models for Human Cancers
• Tumor Microenvironment

Professional Statement

Focusing on cancer research, educating researchers, making discoveries, and turning discoveries into effective therapies for cancer patients.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Wang W, Shen T, Dong B, Creighton CJ, Meng Y, Zhou W, Shi Q, Zhou H, Zhang Y, Moore DD, Yang F "MAPK4 overexpression promotes tumor progression via non-canonical activation of Akt/mTOR signaling." J Clin Invest. 2019;129(3):1015-29. Pubmed PMID: 30688659
• Shen T, Wang W, Zhou W, Coleman I, Cai Q, Dong B, Ittmann M, Creighton CJ, Bian Y, Meng Y, Rowley DR, Nelson PS, Moore DD, Yang F "MAPK4 Promotes Prostate Cancer by Concerted Activation of Androgen Receptor and AKT." J Clin Invest. 2021;131(4):e135465. Pubmed PMID: 33586682
• Cai Q, Zhou W, Wang W, Dong B, Han D, Shen T, Creighton CJ, Moore DD, Yang F "MAPK6-AKT signaling promotes tumor growth and resistance to mTOR kinase blockade." Sci Adv. 2021;7(46):eabi6439. Pubmed PMID: 34767444
• Shen T, Dong B, Meng Y, Moore DD, Yang F "A COP1-GATA2 axis suppresses AR signaling and prostate cancer." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022;119(43):e2205350119. Pubmed PMID: 36251994

Projects

MAPK4 biology in human cancers

MAPK4 is an atypical MAPK that was not well studied. MAPK4 biology in human diseases, including cancers, was largely unknown. We discovered that MAPK4 activates Akt/mTOR and several other key signal pathways to promote cancer initiation, progression, and therapy-resistance. We are now pioneering the research on MAPK4 biology in human cancers and are carrying out in-depth studies to reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying MAPK4 regulation of human cancers.