Mengying Hu, PhD

Assistant Professor

Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology

Research Areas: The Division of Pharmaceutics & Pharmacology, Cancer, Central Nervous System Disorders, Nanotechnology & Drug Delivery Systems

Riffe 434

hu.3126@osu.edu

614-688-0431

Professional Website

Professional Interests

The Hoo (Hu) research group focuses on the functional and mechanistic exploration of immune cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) and EV-DNA in the context of diseases such as cancer and chronic inflammatory disorders. The ultimate goal is to inform the rationale design of non-viral gene therapies and diagnostic/prognostic tools. Specific research interests include functional and mechanistic exploration of immune cell-derived EVs and EV-DNA in disease settings such as cancer and auto-immune disorders, engineering core-shell lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for the targeted delivery of nucleic acids, proteins, peptides, and small molecules to support therapeutic development for cancer, chronic inflammatory diseases, and autoimmune disorder and diagnostic/prognostic biomarker development based on circulating EVs and EV-DNA.

Biography

Dr. Hu earned her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she built the framework for the design and optimization of core-supported lipid nanoparticles for delivering nucleic acid therapeutics. She then completed postdoctoral training at Weill Cornell Medical College as a TL1 scholar in the Clinical and Translational Science Program, where she uncovered the immune-boosting activities of T cell-derived EVs and EV-DNA. Her work has since expanded to encompass translational research, including but not limited to identifying EV biomarkers for early detection, cancer progression, and treatment responses.

Education

2019, PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2016, MS Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
2013, BS Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, China

Honors

2022, CTSC TL1 Training Award
2019, Baxter Young Investigator Award

Publications

Universal STING mimic boosts antitumour immunity via preferential activation of tumour control signalling pathways., Nature nanotechnology. 2024 Mar | journal-article. doi: 10.1038/s41565-024-01624-2.
Tumour extracellular vesicles and particles induce liver metabolic dysfunction., Nature. 2023 May | journal-article. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06114-4.
Tumor-derived nanoseeds condition the soil for metastatic organotropism., Seminars in cancer biology. 2023 May | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2023.05.003.
Tumor-produced and aging-associated oncometabolite methylmalonic acid promotes cancer-associated fibroblast activation to drive metastatic progression., Nature communications. 2022 Oct | journal-article. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33862-0.
Fibrotic immune microenvironment remodeling mediates superior anti-tumor efficacy of a nano-PD-L1 trap in hepatocellular carcinoma., Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy. 2022 Sep | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.09.012.
Strategies targeting tumor immune and stromal microenvironment and their clinical relevance., Advanced drug delivery reviews. 2022 Feb | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114137.
Nanoparticle Delivery of miR-122 Inhibits Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis, Cancer Research. 2022 Jan | journal-article. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-21-2269.
mRNA Delivery of a Bispecific Single-Domain Antibody to Polarize Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Synergize Immunotherapy against Liver Malignancies., Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.). 2021 May | journal-article. doi: 10.1002/adma.202007603.
Hepatic macrophages act as a central hub for relaxin-mediated alleviation of liver fibrosis, Nature Nanotechnology. 2021 Apr | journal-article. doi: 10.1038/s41565-020-00836-6.
Relaxin gene delivery modulates macrophages to resolve cancer fibrosis and synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade therapy, Science Advances. 2021 Feb | journal-article. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abb6596.
Celastrol nanoemulsion induces immunogenicity and downregulates PD-L1 to boost abscopal effect in melanoma therapy., Biomaterials. 2020 Dec | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.120604.
Oral Metformin and Polymetformin Reprogram Immunosuppressive Microenvironment and Boost Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Colorectal Cancer, Advanced Therapeutics. 2020 Dec | journal-article. doi: 10.1002/adtp.202000168.
Icaritin Exacerbates Mitophagy and Synergizes with Doxorubicin to Induce Immunogenic Cell Death in Hepatocellular Carcinoma., ACS nano. 2020 Mar | journal-article. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.0c00708.
Nano-puerarin regulates tumor microenvironment and facilitates chemo- and immunotherapy in murine triple negative breast cancer model., Biomaterials. 2020 Jan | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.119769.
Relaxin-FOLFOX-IL-12 triple combination therapy engages memory response and achieves long-term survival in colorectal cancer liver metastasis., Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society. 2019 Dec | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.12.053.
Relaxin gene delivery mitigates liver metastasis and synergizes with check point therapy, Nature Communications. 2019 Jul | journal-article. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10893-8.
Locally Trapping the C-C Chemokine Receptor Type 7 by Gene Delivery Nanoparticle Inhibits Lymphatic Metastasis Prior to Tumor Resection., Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany). 2019 Jan | journal-article. doi: 10.1002/smll.201805182.
Vasodilator Hydralazine Promotes Nanoparticle Penetration in Advanced Desmoplastic Tumors., ACS nano. 2019 Jan | journal-article. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.8b07830.
Nanomaterial Manipulation of Immune Microenvironment in the Diseased Liver, Advanced Functional Materials. 2018 Dec | journal-article. doi: 10.1002/adfm.201805760.
An inflammatory-CCRK circuitry drives mTORC1-dependent metabolic and immunosuppressive reprogramming in obesity-associated hepatocellular carcinoma., Nature communications. 2018 Dec | journal-article. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-07402-8.
Trapping of Lipopolysaccharide to Promote Immunotherapy against Colorectal Cancer and Attenuate Liver Metastasis., Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.). 2018 Nov | journal-article. doi: 10.1002/adma.201805007.
Nanoparticle-mediated HMGA1 Silencing Promotes Lymphocyte Infiltration and Boosts Checkpoint Blockade Immunotherapy for Cancer, Advanced Functional Materials. 2018 Sep | journal-article. doi: 10.1002/adfm.201802847.
Y1 receptor ligand-based nanomicelle as a novel nanoprobe for glioma-targeted imaging and therapy., Nanoscale. 2018 Mar | journal-article. doi: 10.1039/c8nr00148k.
Liver specific gene immunotherapies resolve immune suppressive ectopic lymphoid structures of liver metastases and prolong survival, Biomaterials. 2017 Oct | journal-article. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.07.007.
Drug resistance reversal by combretastatin-A4 phosphate loaded with doxorubicin in polymersomes independent of angiogenesis effect, Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 2017 Apr | journal-article. doi: 10.1111/jphp.12725.
Polymersomes via Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic β-Cyclodextrin-Centered Triarm Star Polymers for Enhanced Oral Bioavailability of Water-Soluble Chemotherapeutics, Biomacromolecules. 2016 Mar | journal-article. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.5b01676.
Sequentially dual-targeting vector with nano-in-micro structure for improved docetaxel oral delivery in vivo, Nanomedicine. 2016 Jan | journal-article. doi: 10.2217/nnm-2016-0259.
Co-Encapsulation of Combretastatin-A4 Phosphate and Doxorubicin in Polymersomes for Synergistic Therapy of Nasopharyngeal Epidermal Carcinoma, Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology. 2015 Jun | journal-article. doi: 10.1166/jbn.2015.2010.
Polymer micelle-based combination therapy of paclitaxel and resveratrol with enhanced and selective antitumor activity, RSC Adv.. 2014 Jan | journal-article. doi: 10.1039/c4ra09761k.
Progress in Enantioselective Phosphine Organocatalysis, Chinese Journal of Organic Chemistry. 2013 Jan | journal-article. doi: 10.6023/cjoc201210017.