Immunology Program

The Ming Li Lab

Ming Li, PhD

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/

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People

Ming Li, PhD

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

[email protected]: Email Address
646-888-2371: Office Phone

Members

Peng Li, PhD — Peng Li
Senior Research Scientist

Lab Alumni

Saida Dadi, PhD — Saida Dadi
Research Fellow

Chong Luo
Director, Cell Therapy, Tome Biosciences

Soyoung Oh, PhD — Soyoung Oh
Research Fellow

Min Peng, PhD — Min Peng
Research Fellow

Omar Beckett

Research Technician

Kristelle Capistrano
Senior Research Technician

Chun Chou, Research Fellow — Chun Chou
Research Fellow

Shengyu (Sherry) Gao
Scientist, Genentech

Sophia Gonzalez

Administrative Assistant II

Ilona Gutcher

Research Fellow

Davina Kang

Lab Technician

Abira Sarkar

Research Fellow

Wei Shi, Research Scholar — Wei Shi
Research Scholar

Amy Shyu
Engagement Manager, McKinsey and Company

Weiming Ouyang, PhD — Weiming Ouyang
Research Associate

Lab Affiliations

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

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Get in Touch

[email protected]

Lab Head Email
646-888-2371

Office Phone
646-422-0502

Office Fax

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members 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.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members 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.

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, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). 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 [email protected].

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