Dr. Xiang-Yang Wang, Recipient of a Prestigious R01 from NIDCR
The Department of Cellular, Molecular, and Genetic Medicine proudly congratulates Dr. Xiang-Yang (Shawn) Wang, Professor of Genetics, Immunology, and Radiation Oncology at VCU, on receiving a new R01 (DE033686) award from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) in 2025.
The project, titled “Exploiting Immunostimulatory Microbial Pattern Recognition to Improve Head and Neck Cancer Therapy,” addresses a critical unmet need for patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Despite radiation therapy being a cornerstone of clinical management, recurrence remains common, and current immunotherapy approaches, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, show limited efficacy in recurrent or metastatic disease.
Dr. Wang and his team propose an innovative strategy using hFlagrp170, a novel immune PRIME agent designed to reprogram the tumor microenvironment and amplify responsiveness to radiation and immunotherapy. By engineering a microbial pattern recognition sequence into an antigen-delivery platform, this first-in-class therapeutic aims to optimize immune activation, reverse tumor-induced immunosuppression, and sustain durable antitumor responses. The project will evaluate the therapeutic and mechanistic activity of hFlagrp170 in preclinical oral cancer models, with the long-term goal of rapid clinical translation to improve survival outcomes for patients.
Dr. Wang’s research program integrates multidisciplinary expertise in cancer immunology, stress response biology, and pattern recognition receptors to develop transformative immune-based therapies. His lab has pioneered chaperone-based vaccine technologies that have advanced into clinical testing and continues to drive translational immuno-oncology efforts to overcome barriers in the tumor microenvironment.
This new NIDCR R01 underscores Dr. Wang’s leadership in immunotherapy research and his commitment to advancing innovative strategies that bridge basic discovery with clinical application.
Congratulations to Dr. Wang on this significant achievement and the exciting opportunities it brings to the CMGM research community!
By Anna Kovilakath
Department of CMGM
Email: Anna.Kovilakath@vcuhealth.org
Date: 8/September/2025