Shunqiang Li, PhD

• Patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) models
• Preclinical study of anticancer drugs
• Cancer metastasis and drug resistance

Dr. Shunqiang Li’s laboratory interests lie in the use of preclinical, in vivo models for translational cancer research. Dr. Li established Washington University’s first patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) model for solid tumor in 2006. He has generated over 300 PDXs from 11 types of human cancers to provide a unique system that would allow for preclinical testing of new anti-cancer drugs in a well-characterized model that better recapitulates the human disease. His projects include the following:

Establishment and characterization of patient-derived tumor xenografts
Cancer is a complex disease comprised of a spectrum of cancer subtypes with distinct clinical phenotypes, genetic anomalies, and therapeutic responsiveness. While cell-line derived cancer xenografts are frequently used for preclinical testing, the ability of these models to predict drug efficacy is limited due to the alterations caused by long-term in vitro culture, the lack of the source patient’s clinical information, and their poor representation of the complexity present in cancer. In collaboration with Dr. Matthew Ellis and others, Dr. Li launched the HAMLET (Human and Mouse Linked Evaluation of Tumors) project in 2006 to establish PDX models and to compare the similarities between the original tumors and their xenografts. The goal of this project is to use PDXs to bridge the knowledge gap between human cancer genome structure and function. Some of the 300 PDX models have been characterized by (1) global gene expression; (2) array CGH; (3) RNA/whole exon/whole genome sequencing; (4) proteomics/phospho proteomics, and (5) reverse phase protein array (RPPA). As featured in the Nature (2010), Cell Reports (2013), and Nat Commun (2017) articles, the PDX models exhibit remarkable genetic and phenotypic similarities with the human tumor from which they were derived. They are “live” replicas of the human tumors.

Translational research based on patient-derived tumor xenografts
The PDX model is a rich resource that provides a unique in vivo model to conduct cancer translational research. The models have been successfully incorporated into 29 grants funded by NIH, Department of Defense, Susan G Komen for the Cure, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), Pfizer Inc., and Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Li’s lab has tested over 30 different drugs/inhibitors on PDXs. The PDXs were applied to co-clinical trial and co-clinical imaging studies at Washington University. Dr. Li is the Director of the HAMLET Core. He oversees the daily operations of the Core and assists investigators in evaluating the potential utility of PDX models to their research. Dr. Li’s work has made significant contributions to the scientific community by publishing the PDX study and disseminating the PDX models and PDX-related materials to 81 investigators in 24 institutes.