Linghua Zheng Lab

The Linghua Zheng Lab at the OSUCCC – James is focused on immuno-oncology and autoimmunity. The goal is to improve our understanding of how the immune system fights cancer at the molecular and cellular levels.

Mission

The lab is run by cancer research specialist and Principal Investigator Linghua Zheng, Ph.D. He joined the Division of Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University in 2022 after several years as an associate research scientist at Yale University.

The Linghua Zheng Lab’s primary mission is to identify new pathways for cancer immunotherapy, with the ultimate goal of helping to develop enhanced treatments to improve patient outcomes.

The lab is also working to explain why specific immune functions may become inactive or dormant when they normally would be using their natural resources to attack cancerous cells or other cells infected with viruses.

How We Do It

The experts in the Linghua Zheng Lab are investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms mediating CD8 T cell quiescence during homeostasis, as well as CD8 T cell activation and tolerance in both physiological and pathological conditions.

Researchers are focused on both basic and translational studies of CD8 T cells, which helps to set this lab apart from other research facilities.

Led by Dr. Zheng, the lab has successfully identified a new pathway/mechanism for CD8 T cell quiescence. The team found evidence that myeloid cell–CD8+ T cell crosstalk via cell surface CD8α–PILRα interactions is critical for the maintenance of CD8+ T cells in a physiologically quiescent state in peripheral lymphoid organs.

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