Dr. Kang is a deputy chair, Professor and Principal Investigator, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. He gained his Ph.D. degree at Bielefeld University in 2003 and had his Post-doc training in MD Anderson Cancer Center and Washington University in St. Louis from 2004 to 2008. Dr. Kang moved back to China to start his lab in 2008. Dr. Kang was awarded as a Distinguished Professor from NCSF and Ministry of Education of China in 2011 and 2014, respectively. In 2019, Dr. Kang was awarded as a Distinguished Scholar Professor of Guangdong province.

Dr. Kang’s laboratory majorly engages in the regulation of cancer cells and their microenvironment, their crosstalk and the intervention strategies. The main theme in his lab is to identify new targets to overcome the drug resistance for cancer treatments and/or to improve the outcomes of cancer patients with metastases, as well as to illustrate how these targets execute their intracellular functions and/or their secretion into exosomes to modulate the tumor microenvironment

2001.08–2003.07 University of Bielefeld, Germany, Ph.D. in Biochemistry
1993.09–1996.06 Guangdong Medical College, M.S. in Biochemistry
1989.09–1992.06 Hunan Medical University, Clinical Laboratory Science

1.  Zhou L^#, Chen Z^#, Zou Y^#, Wang Z, Zhang X, Zheng L, Xie M, Zhang M, Zhang R, Lin J, Zhu H, Zhu M, Chen D, Li D, Yin Y, Gao S, Wu Y *, Kang T*.   ASB7 is a negative regulator of H3K9me3 homeostasis      Science 2025 Jul 17;389(6757):309-316 

Research Highlight by Di Jaing:  Reining in heterochromatin.  Sceince 2025 Jul 17;389(6757):246

Research Highlight by Bakker C, Paulson J & Taneja N:  Fencing the genome: ubiquitin signaling restricts heterochromatin spread.  Sig Transduct Target Ther 2025 Aug 21;10, 261

Research Highlight by Zhou X, Higgins J MG & Wang F:  Balancing heterochromatin: ASB7-mediated proteasomal control of H3K8me3 homeostasis.  Sci China Lif Sci 2025 Nov 14

2. Liao D^#, Zhong L^#, Yin J^#, Zeng C, Wang X, Huang X, Chen J, Zhang H, Zhang R, Guan XY, Shuai X, Sui J, Gao S, Deng W, Zeng YX, Shen J*, Chen J*, Kang T*.    Chromosomal Translocation-derived Aberrant RAB22A Drives Osteosarcoma Metastasis.   Nat Cell Biol, 2020 July, 22, 868–81.

Research Highlight:  Rab22a-NeoF1: a promising target for osteosarcoma patients with lung metastasis by Xie K, Zhang X & Tao Y.  Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2020 Aug 24;5(1):161.

3. Wu Y^#, Zhou L^#, Zou Y, Zhang Y, Zhang M, Xu L, Zheng L, He W, Yu K, Zhang R, Zhou P, Nu Zhang Limin Zheng, Kang T*.  Disrupting the phase separation of KAT8-IRF1 diminishes PD-L1 expression and promotes antitumor immunity.   Nat Cancer, 2023 Mar;4(3):382-400

News & Views:  Biocondensates fuel tumor immune evasion by Kubelick KP & Qurioz FG.  

Nat Cancer. 2023 Mar;4(3):312-314.

4. He X^#, Wang QX^#, Wei D^#*, Lin Y^#, Zhang X^#, Wu Y, Qian X, Lin Z, Xiao B, Wu Q, Wang Z, Zhou F, Wei Z, Wang J, Gong R, Zhang R, Zhang Q*, Ding K*, Gao S*, Kang T*.  Lysosomal EGFR acts as a Rheb-GEF independent of its kinase activity to activate mTORC1.   Cell Res, 2025 July; 35(7):497-509. 

Research Highlight:  Lysosomal EGFR functions as a GEF for Rheb by Hou T, Yan P & Wei W.

Cell Res, 2025 July; 35(7):475-476.

5. Gao Y^#, Zheng X^#, Chang B^#, Lin Y^#, Huang X^#, Wang W^#, Ding S, Zhan W, Wang S, Xiao B, Yu Y, Chen Y, Gong Y, Wu Y, Zhang R, Zhong L, Wang X, Chen Q, Gao S, Jiang Z, Wei D*, Kang T*.  Intercellular transfer of activated STING triggered by RAB22A-mediated non-canonical autophagy promotes antitumor immunity.  Cell Res. 2022 Dec;32(12):1086-104.

Research Highlight:  A new route for EV biogenesis by Yu L. Cell Res. 2023 Feb;33(2):87-8.

Commentary & News:  Activated STING1 rides the rafeesome by Han Y, Zheng J & Ge L. Autophagy. 2023 Dec;19(12):3230-3.

6. Wei D^#, Zhan W^#, Gao Y^#, Huang L, Gong R, Wang W, Zhang R, Wu Y, Gao S, Kang T*

RAB31 marks and controls an ESCRT-independent exosome pathway.   

Cell Res. 2021 Feb, 31(2), 157–77.

Research Highlight:  An exosome pathway without an ESCRT by Kenific CM, Zhang H & Lyden D.   

Cell Res. 2021 Feb, 31(2), 105–6.

7. Xu S^#, Wu Y^#, Chen Q, Cao J, Hu K, Tang J, Sang Y, Lai F, Wang L, Zhang R, Li S-P, Zeng Y-X, Yin Y, Kang T*.     hSSB1 regulates both the stability and the transcriptional activity of p53.    

Cell Res. 2013 Mar; 23(3): 423-35.

8. Zhong L^#, Liao D^#, Li J^#, Liu W, Wang J, Zeng C, Wang X, Cao Z, Zhang R, Li M, Jiang K, Zeng YX, Sui J*, Kang T*.   Rab22a-NeoF1 fusion protein promotes osteosarcoma lung metastasis through its secretion into exosomes.   Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2021 Feb 11; 6(1):59.

9.  Wang x, Qin G, Liang X, Wang Z, Liao D, Zhong L, Zhang R, Zeng YX, Wu Y^*, Kang T^*   Targeting the CK1α/CBX4 Axis for Metastasis in Osteosarcoma.   Nat Commun, 2020 Feb 28; 11, 1141.

10.  Hong J^#, Hu K^#, Yuan Y*, Sang Y, Bu Q, Chen G, Yang L, Li B, Huang P, Chen D1, Liang Y, Zhang R, Pan J, Zeng YX, Kang T*    Chk1 Targets Spleen Tyrosine Kinase (L) for Proteolysis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.    J Clin Invest. 2012 Jun; 122(6): 2165-75.