Yajing Gao, PhD

My research focuses on lipid metabolism in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), a specialized immune population that directly kills malignant cells. I aim to unravel the pathways that facilitate the trafficking and utilization of beneficial and harmful lipids in CTLs, and to identify the molecular mechanism by which sterols influence CTL effector function. I am also investigating whether manipulating such processes can unleash CTL response and accelerate cancer clearance.