Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
Dr. Keith Syson Chan received his BSc in Life Sciences from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and his PhD from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He received his postdoctoral training in cancer stem cells and immune evasion at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University in California. Dr. Chan most recently relocated to Houston Methodist with a $6 million Established Investigator recruitment grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
Research interests
1. Tumor microenvironment: Immune checkpoint blockade therapy is emerging as a major treatment modality for cancer patients. However, a large fraction of patients remain non-responders. Ongoing projects is further characterizing the resistance mechanisms, e.g., i) how to turn cold tumors into hot tumors, via modulating dying cancer cell-released DAMPs and iDAMP and dendritic cell cross priming of CD8+ T cells, ii) cancer cell modulation of the immunosuppressive immune microenvironment etc
2. Cell death-induced biology: Most anti-cancer therapeutics designate cell death as the end goal, we serendipitously discovered drug-induced dying cells play a major role in inducing residual tumor cell repopulation and immunosuppression. And thus, driving therapeutic resistance. Proteomics discovery identified novel protein complexes associated with various forms of programmed cell death mechanisms. Ongoing studies will further dissect these molecular mechanisms.
3. Metastatic niche: We recently identified collagen-rich airway smooth muscle cells as a metastatic niche for cancer cell colonization in the lung. Ongoing projects will further characterize its interaction with other immune cells in the microenvironment (e.g. neutrophils, NK cells) to facilitate the process. We are building on existing RNAseq data profiling the niche and cancer cells, functionally integrating with microfluidics system in vitro and established in vivo models to study their mechanistic interactions
Education/Academic qualification
Biomedical Science, PhD, University of Texas MD Cancer Center
Award Date: Jun 30 2004
BSc, Queen's University Kingston
Award Date: May 31 2000
Research Area Keywords
- Cancer
Free-text keywords
- Fibroblast and collagen signaling
- Immunogenic cell death
- Tumor microenvironment
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 14 Active
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A single-cell spatial map characterizing the stromal TME in bladder and breast early-lesions
Chan, K. S. (PI)
9/1/24 → 8/31/27
Project: Federal Funding Agencies
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Molecular Analysis of tumors and liquid biopsies in Patients undergoing standard treatment for Bladder Cancer and correlation to clinical outcomes (MAP Bladder)
Satkunasivam, R. (PI), Chan, K. S. (Key Personnel) & Miles, B. J. (Key Personnel)
4/9/24 → …
Project: Clinical Trial
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Harnessing the Immune System to Enhance Chemotherapeutic Response of Bladder Cancer
Chan, K. S. (PI)
1/1/24 → 6/30/25
Project: Federal Funding Agencies
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The stromal microenvironment as a co-organizer of bladder carcinogenesis and progression
Chan, K. S. (PI)
9/1/23 → 8/31/27
Project: Federal Funding Agencies
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The stromal microenvironment as a co-organizer of bladder carcinogenesis and progression
Chan, K. S. (PI)
9/1/23 → 8/31/27
Project: Federal Funding Agencies
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The dynamic roles of the bladder tumour microenvironment
Lee, Y. C., Lam, H. M., Rosser, C., Theodorescu, D., Parks, W. C. & Chan, K. S., Sep 2022, In: Nature Reviews Urology. 19, 9, p. 515-533 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
45 Scopus citations -
Cell death-induced immunogenicity enhances chemoimmunotherapeutic response by converting immune-excluded into T-cell inflamed bladder tumors
Nikolos, F., Hayashi, K., Hoi, X. P., Alonzo, M. E., Mo, Q., Kasabyan, A., Furuya, H., Trepel, J., Di Vizio, D., Guarnerio, J., Theodorescu, D., Rosser, C., Apolo, A., Galsky, M. & Chan, K. S., Dec 2022, In: Nature Communications. 13, 1, 1487.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access35 Scopus citations -
Discoidin Domain Receptor-Driven Gene Signatures as Markers of Patient Response to Anti-PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Therapy
You, S., Kim, M., Hoi, X. P., Lee, Y. C., Wang, L., Spetzler, D., Abraham, J., Magee, D., Jain, P., Galsky, M. D., Chan, K. S. & Theodorescu, D., Oct 1 2022, In: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 114, 10, p. 1380-1391 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access7 Scopus citations -
Tipping the immunostimulatory and inhibitory DAMP balance to harness immunogenic cell death
Hayashi, K., Nikolos, F., Lee, Y. C., Jain, A., Tsouko, E., Gao, H., Kasabyan, A., Leung, H. E., Osipov, A., Jung, S. Y., Kurtova, A. V. & Chan, K. S., Dec 2020, In: Nature Communications. 11, 1, 6299.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access191 Scopus citations -
Collagen-rich airway smooth muscle cells are a metastatic niche for tumor colonization in the lung
Lee, Y. C., Kurtova, A. V., Xiao, J., Nikolos, F., Hayashi, K., Tramel, Z., Jain, A., Chen, F., Chokshi, M., Lee, C., Bao, G., Zhang, X., Shen, J., Mo, Q., Jung, S. Y., Rowley, D. & Chan, K. S., Dec 1 2019, In: Nature Communications. 10, 1, 2131.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access35 Scopus citations