Immunology Program

The Ming Li Lab

Research

Ming Li, PhD

David H. Koch Chair in Immunological Studies

The pervasive influence of the immune system on human health and disease underscores the importance of a mechanistic understanding of immune regulation under pathophysiological conditions such as cancer. Cancer immunology research in my laboratory aims to decipher the cellular and molecular basis of tumor-elicited innate and adaptive immune responses and develop mechanism-based interventions to unlock the untapped potential of the immune system for cancer therapy.

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Featured News

How One Lab at MSK Is Working To Harness the Power of the Immune System Against Cancer

Study by study, Dr. Ming Li's lab at MSK is sharing new insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in immune regulation.

SKI Scientists Identify Potential New ‘Soldier’ for Cancer Immunotherapy

The new cells, which the scientists have dubbed killer innate-like T cells, differ in several notable ways from the conventional target of many immunotherapies.

Sloan Kettering Institute Scientists Solve a 100-Year-Old Mystery about Cancer

Scientists have long known that cancer cells and immune cells have an uncommon hunger for glucose but haven’t understood why. A new study offers an answer.

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Publications Highlights

X. Zhang, S. Li, I. Malik, M.H. Do, L. Ji, C. Chou, W. Shi, K.J. Capistrano, J. Zhang, T. Hsu, B.G. Nixon, K. Xu, X. Wang, A. Ballabio, L.S. Schmidt, W.M. Linehan, M.O. Li. Reprogramming Tumor-Associated Macrophages to Outcompete Cancer Cells. Nature 2023 619: 616-623. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37380769/

C. Chou, X. Zhang, C. Krishna, B.G. Nixon, S. Dadi, K.J. Capistrano, E.R. Kansler, M. Steele, J. Han, A. Shyu, J. Zhang, E.G. Stamatiades, M. Liu, S. Li, M.H. Do, D.S. Kang, C. Chen, I.H. Wei, E.P. Pappou, M.R. Weiser, J. Garcia-Aguilar, J.J. Smith, C.S. Leslie, M.O. Li. Programme of Self-Reactive Innate-Like T Cell-Mediated Cancer Immunity. Nature 2022, 605: 139-145. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35444279/

E.R. Kansler, S. Dadi, C. Krishna, B.G. Nixon, E.G. Stamatiades, M. Liu, F. Kuo, J. Zhang, X. Zhang, K. Capistrano, K.A. Blum, K. Weiss, R.M. Kedl, G. Cui, K. Ikuta, T.A. Chan, C.S. Leslie, A.A. Hakimi, M.O. Li. Cytotoxic Innate Lymphoid Cells Sense Cancer Cell-Expressed Interleukin-15 to Suppress Human and Murine Malignancies. Nat Immunol. 2022 23: 904-915. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35618834/

K. Xu, N. Yin, M. Peng, E.G. Stamatiades, A. Shyu, P. Li, X. Zhang, M.H. Do, Z. Wang, K.J. Capistrano, C. Chou, A.G. Levine, A.Y. Rudensky, M.O. Li. Glycolysis Fuels Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Signaling to Bolster T Cell Immunity. Science 2021, 371: 405-410. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33479154/

S. Li, M. Liu, M.H. Do, C. Chou, E.G. Stamatiades, B.G. Nixon, W. Shi, X. Zhang, P. Li, S. Gao, K.J. Capistrano, H. Xu, N.V. Cheung, M.O. Li. Cancer Immunotherapy via Targeted TGF-beta Signaling Blockade in TH Cells. Nature 2020, 587: 121-125. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33087933/

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People

Ming Li, PhD

David H. Koch Chair in Immunological Studies

Immunologist Ming Li studies mechanisms of immune regulation, and their relevance to diseases including cancer.
PhD, Columbia University

lim@mskcc.org: Email Address
646-888-2371: Office Phone

Members

Sophia Brosnan

Research Technician

Sikun Guo

Research Scholar

Liangliang Ji

Research Associate

Jiaxin Li

Research Fellow

Ming Li

Member and Immunologist; David H. Koch Chair in Immunologic Studies #1

Peng Li

Senior Research Scientist

Alexandra Ramadhin

Senior Administrative Assistant

Xinxin Wang

Research Scholar

Zijian Xu

Research Associate

Jing Zhang

Research Associate

Michael Bivona

Research Technician

Saida Dadi

Research Fellow

Mytrang Do

Graduate Student

Ruth Franklin

Graduate Student

Myoungjoo Kim

Graduate Student

Ming Liu

Research Fellow

Chong Luo

Director, Cell Therapy, Tome Biosciences

Briana Nixon

Research Scholar

Soyoung Oh

Research Fellow

Min Peng

Research Fellow

Ahmed Toure

Research Technician

Ke Xu

Graduate Student

Na Yin

Research Fellow

Omar Beckett

Research Technician

Delaney Bessel

Research Technician

Kristelle Capistrano

Senior Research Technician

Chun Chou

Research Fellow

Chaucie Edwards

Research Technician

Shengyu (Sherry) Gao

Scientist, Genentech

Sophia Gonzalez

Administrative Assistant II

Ilona Gutcher

Research Fellow

Ting-Wei (Eva) Hsu

Graduate Student

Davina Kang

Lab Technician

Emily Kansler

Albert Li

Research Fellow

Shun Li

Research Fellow

Isha Malik

Research Technician

Alexandra Ramadhin

Senior Administrative Assistant

Abira Sarkar

Research Fellow

Wei Shi

Research Scholar

Amy Shyu

Engagement Manager, McKinsey and Company

Efstathios Stamatiades

Research Scholar

Xian Zhang

Senior Research Scientist

Moses Donkor

Graduate Student

Qian Ma

Research Technician

Weiming Ouyang

Research Associate

Achievements

Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2022)
American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow (2021)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar (2016)
AAI-BD Biosciences Investigator Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Immunology (2016)
Scholar, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (2014)

Louise and Allston Boyer Young Investigator Award for Basic Research (2012)
Scholar, American Cancer Society (2012)
Scholar, Rita Allen Foundation (2008)

Open Positions

To learn more about available postdoctoral opportunities, please visit our Career Center

To learn more about compensation and benefits for postdoctoral researchers at MSK, please visit Resources for Postdocs

Career Opportunities

Apply now

Get in Touch

lim@mskcc.org

Lab Head Email
646-888-2371

Office Phone
646-422-0502

Office Fax

Disclosures

Members of the MSK Community often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community. These activities outside of MSK further our mission, provide productive collaborations, and promote the practical application of scientific discoveries.

MSK requires doctors, faculty members, and leaders to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public. Not all disclosed interests and relationships present conflicts of interest. MSK reviews all disclosed interests and relationships to assess whether a conflict of interest exists and whether formal COI management is needed.

Ming Li discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

Amberstone Biosciences Inc.
Equity; Professional Services and Activities
Flagship Pioneering
Professional Services and Activities

META Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Equity; Professional Services and Activities

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2024 through disclosure submission in spring 2025). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at ecoi@mskcc.org.

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