Researcher Spotlight: Min Xia, PhD

WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE

Among the different subtypes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), ABC-DLBCL represents one of the most aggressive forms with low response rates to standard chemotherapeutic approaches. Improved treatment approaches in this space are urgently needed, and an improved understanding of ABC-DLBCL biology may help to identify novel therapeutic targets. To this end, Dr. Xia’s research is focused on characterizing alterations in the BCL10 gene, which are common in ABC-DLBCL, to understand how they contribute to the development of lymphoma and how interruption of these processes may help to improve treatment outcomes. “We believe understanding the fashion of lymphoma initiation and progression will unravel novel perspectives to treat lymphoma patients with BCL10 mutations,” she says.

Dr. Xia completed her doctoral research at the Shanghai Institute of Biological Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. She is currently an instructor of cancer biology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, where she is working to establish herself as an independent researcher focused on the pathogenesis of lymphoma and the development of novel therapeutic regimens. “Lymphoma is a complex, hard-to-treat, and highly heterogenous disease with different subtypes, hence it requires tailored treatment for better overall outcome,” she says. She is driven to better understand the mechanisms of lymphoma formation and progression, with the hope that these advances will lead to the development of more effective treatment options and improved prognosis for lymphoma patients.