Prof. Xin-Yuan Guan got his PhD degree in 1993 at the University of Arizona. After postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan, he was recruited by National Human Genome Research Institute in NIH as a senior staff fellow in 1993. He was then moved to the Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong in 1999 as an Associate Professor, and promoted to Professor in 2007. He is Professor of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center since 2007.

His major scientific contributions include:
(1) development and application of Micro-FISH technique in cancer research;

(2) identification and characterization of novel oncogenes, such as EIF5A2 and CHD1L in various cancers;

(3) identification and characterization of cancer stem cells in hepatocellular and esophageal carcinomas.

Currently, Prof. Guan’s research interests include cancer stem cell, cancer microenvironment, and cancer related genes in liver, esophageal and nasopharyngeal cancers. He has published more than 270 peer-reviewed papers in international journals including in Science, Nature Genetics, Nature Medicine, Cell Stem Cell, J Clin Invest, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Gut, Cancer Research, and Oncogene.
Research Interest(s): Characterization of cancer related genes, cancer stem cells and tumor microenvironment in hepatocellular, esophageal and nasopharyngeal carcinomas.

Characterization of cancer related genes, cancer stem cells and tumor microenvironment in hepatocellular, esophageal and nasopharyngeal carcinomas.

For information on Professor Guan's laboratory, click here and select: Characterization of cancer-related genes.

Ph.D., Department of Genetics, University of Arizona, USA, 1993.

Selected publications

1. Ma S, Tang KH, Chan YP, Lee TK, Kwan PS, Castilho A, Ng I, Man K, Wong N, To KF, Zheng BJ, Lai PB, Lo CM, Chan KW, Guan XY*. miR-130b promotes CD133(+) liver tumor-initiating cell growth and self-renewal via tumor protein 53-induced nuclear protein 1. Cell Stem Cell 2010

2. Ma S, Bao YJ, Kwan PS, Chan YP, Tong CM, Fu L, Zhang N, Tong AH Qin YR, Tsao SW, Chan KW, Lok S, Guan XY*. Identification of PTK6, via RNA sequencing analysis, as a suppressor of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Gastroenterology 2012

3. Chen L, Li Y, Lin CH, Chan TH, Chow RK, Song Y, Liu M, Yuan YF, Fu L, Kong KL, Qi L, Li Y, Zhang N, Tong AH, Kwong DL, Man K, Lo CM, Lok S, Tenen DG, Guan XY*. Recoding RNA editing of AZIN1 predisposes to hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Med 2013

4. Liu M, Li Y, Chen L, Chan TH, Song Y, Fu L, Zeng TT, Dai YD, Zhu YH, Li Y, Chen J, Yuan YF, Guan XY*. Allele-specific imbalance of oxidative stress-induced growth inhibitor 1 associates with progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterology 2014

5. Song Y, Pan G, Chen L, Ma S, Zeng T, Chan TH, Li L, Lian Q, Chow R, Cai X, Li Y, Li Y, Liu M, Li Y, Zhu Y, Wong N, Yuan YF, Pei D, Guan XY*. Loss of ATOH8 increases stem cell features of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Gastroenterology 2015

6. Ming XY, Fu L, Zhang LY, Qin YR, Cao TT, Chan KW, Ma S, Xie D, Guan XY*. Integrin α7 is a functional cancer stem cell surface markerin oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Nat Commun 2016

7. Fu L, Qin YR, Ming XY, Zuo XB, Diao YW, Zhang LY, Ai J, Liu BL, Huang TX, Cao TT, Tan BB, Xiang D, Zeng CM, Gong J, Zhang Q, Dong SS, Chen J, Liu H, Wu JL, Qi RZ, Xie D, Wang LD, Guan XY*. RNA editing of SLC22A3 drives early tumor invasion and metastasis in familial esophageal cancer. Pro Nat Aca Sci USA 2017

8. Jiang L, Yan Q, Fang S, Liu M, Li Y, Yuan YF, Li Y, Zhu Y, Qi J, Yang X, Kwong DLW, Guan XY*. Calcium binding protein 39 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma growth and metastasis by activating ERK signaling pathway. Hepatology 2017

9. Li L, Li JC, Yang H, Zhang X, Liu LL, Li Y, Zeng TT, Zhu YH, Li XD, Li Y, Xie D, Fu L, Guan XY*. Expansion of cancer stem cell pool initiates lung cancer recurrence before angiogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2018

10. Liu M, Yan Q, Sun Y, Nam Y, Hu L, Loong JHC, Ouyang Q, Zhang Y, Li HL, Kong FE, Li L, Li Y, Li MM, Cheng W, Jiang LX, Fang S, Yang XD, Mo JQ, Gong YF, Tang YQ, Li Y, Yuan YF, Ma NF, Lin G, Ma S, Wang JG, Guan XY*. A hepatocyte differentiation model reveals two subtypes of liver cancer with different oncofetal properties and therapeutic targets. Pro Nat Aca Sci USA 2020

Updated May 2020