Dr. Lili Yang is currently an Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Yang has over 20 years of experience in both basic and translational study of the immune system. Her research centers on deciphering the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating immune responses against cancer, infection, and autoimmune diseases, and exploiting this knowledge to develop innovative immunotherapies to treat these diseases. A major strength of her research program is that it both generates scientific discoveries and translates these discoveries into clinical and commercial development. So far Dr. Yang's research has resulted in over 60 peer-reviewed publications (in prestigious journals including Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Communications, Science Immunology, Cell Stem Cell, PNAS, J Exp Med, J Clin Invest, etc.), 22 patents, 2 clinical trials, and 2 biotech startups. The Yang Engineering Immunity Lab at UCLA has two active research directions: 1) studying the molecular control of antitumor immunity, and 2) developing innovative gene- and cell-based immunotherapies for treating cancer. A current focus of the Lab is to develop stem cell-engineered, "off-the-shelf" CAR-iNKT cell therapy for targeting a broad range of blood cancers (e.g., multiple myeloma and AML) and solid tumors (e.g., ovarian, breast, prostate, pancreatic and lung cancers). Overall, the Yang Engineering Immunity Lab at UCLA has established a strong research platform that supports interdisciplinary studies spanning the areas of immunology, stem cell biology, cancer biology, infection, and gene & cell-based immunotherapy. Please visit the Lab website for details and updates: https://www.liliyanglab.com/.