Huocong Huang, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor

Dr. Huocong Huang received his medical degree from Sun Yat-sen University and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from University of Nebraska Medical Center. His graduate research was mentored by Dr. Keith R. Johnson, focusing on the signaling transduction and protein interaction of collagen-induced cell plasticity. He then joined Dr. Rolf Brekken’s laboratory at UT Southwestern Medical Center for postdoctoral training. His postdoctoral research studied the function of cancer-associated fibroblasts and extracellular matrix in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. He also examined the therapeutic potential of these stromal targets using animal models. Dr. Huang’s current research is focused on understanding the heterogeneity, origin and function of fibroblasts in physiological or pathological conditions including cancer, fibrosis, wound healing and aging.  

Graduate School

Uni of Nebraska-Med Ctr (2016), Philosophy

• Cancer-associated Fibroblast
• Cell Biology
• Fibrosis
• Signal Transduction
• Tumor Microenvironment

Featured Publications

Recent advances in understanding cancer-associated fibroblasts in pancreatic cancer.

Huang H, Brekken RA, Am. J. Physiol., Cell Physiol. 2020 May

Targeting TGFßR2-mutant tumors exposes vulnerabilities to stromal TGFß blockade in pancreatic cancer.

Huang H, Zhang Y, Gallegos V, Sorrelle N, Zaid MM, Toombs J, Du W, Wright S, Hagopian M, Wang Z, Hosein AN, Sathe AA, Xing C, Koay EJ, Driscoll KE, Brekken RA, EMBO Mol Med 2019 Oct e10515

Cellular heterogeneity during mouse pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression at single-cell resolution.

Hosein AN, Huang H, Wang Z, Parmar K, Du W, Huang J, Maitra A, Olson E, Verma U, Brekken RA, JCI Insight 2019 Jul 5

The Next Wave of Stroma-Targeting Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer.

Huang H, Brekken RA Cancer Res. 2019 Jan 79 2 328-330

Sitravatinib potentiates immune checkpoint blockade in refractory cancer models.

Du W, Huang H, Sorrelle N, Brekken RA JCI Insight 2018 Nov 3 21

Inhibition of discoidin domain receptor 1 reduces collagen-mediated tumorigenicity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Aguilera KY, Huang H, Du W, Hagopian MM, Wang Z, Hinz S, Hwang TH, Wang H, Fleming JB, Castrillon DH, Ren X, Ding K, Brekken RA Mol. Cancer Ther. 2017 Sep

Up-regulation of N-cadherin by Collagen I-activated Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 in Pancreatic Cancer Requires the Adaptor Molecule Shc1.

Huang H, Svoboda RA, Lazenby AJ, Saowapa J, Chaika N, Ding K, Wheelock MJ, Johnson KR J. Biol. Chem. 2016 Sep

AXL Is a Key Factor for Cell Plasticity and Promotes Metastasis in Pancreatic Cancer.

Du W, Phinney NZ, Huang H, Wang Z, Westcott J, Toombs JE, Zhang Y, Beg MS, Wilkie TM, Lorens JB, Brekken RA, Mol Cancer Res 2021 Apr

Concerted cell and in vivo screen for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) chemotherapeutics.

Layeghi-Ghalehsoukhteh S, Pal Choudhuri S, Ocal O, Zolghadri Y, Pashkov V, Niederstrasser H, Posner BA, Kantheti HS, Azevedo-Pouly AC, Huang H, Girard L, MacDonald RJ, Brekken RA, Wilkie TM, Sci Rep 2020 11 10 1 20662

Beyond stiffness: collagen signaling in pancreatic cancer and pancreas regeneration.

Huang H, Brekken RA, Am. J. Pathol. 2020 May

 Featured Books

Collagen Signaling in Cancer. In Protein Kinase Inhibitors as Sensitizing Agents for Chemotherapy

Huang H, Kovacs ME, Aguilera KY, Brekken RA (2018). Cambridge, Massachusetts, Academic Press

• Center for Organogenesis Research and Trauma (CORT) Award, UTSW
  (2021)
• K99/R00 Award, NIH/NCI
  (2021)
• Best Presentation Award, Cancer Biology Program Retreat, UTSW
  (2019)
• Best Poster Award, 8th International Meeting on Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
  (2017)

• International Society for Stem Cell Research (2021)
• American Association for Cancer Research (2018)
• American Society for Cell Biology (2014)