Jinming Gao, Ph.D.

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Dr. Jinming Gao is a distinguished researcher and professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he focuses on the intersection of nanotechnology and cancer research. With a strong academic background in chemistry and biomedical engineering, Dr. Gao leads a research group that aims to develop innovative nanotechnology platforms to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment.

One notable achievement of the Gao Group is the development of proton transistor nanoparticles, such as Pegsitacianine, which can digitize tumor acidotic signals stemming from dysregulated cancer cell metabolism. This nanosensor has received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA and has shown promising results in Phase 2 clinical trials for identifying unresected residual diseases in cancer patients.

In cancer therapy, Dr. Gao's lab has discovered synthetic polymers that can non-canonically activate the STING pathway, leading to improved tumor and cell selectivity and enhanced antitumor immunity. A nanoparticle STING agonist from this research is expected to enter its first-in-human trial in 2023.

Currently, the Gao Group is focusing on using proton transistor nanoparticles to study tumor acidotic biology and immune evasion, as well as developing nano-immune-engineering strategies to activate innate and adaptive immunity for safe and effective cancer immunotherapy.

Undergraduate

Peking University , Chemistry

Graduate School

Harvard University (1996)

• Acidotic transistor medicine (ATOM)
• Molecular cooperativity in nanomedicine design
• Precision cancer imaging and surgery
• STING vaccine and nano-immuno-oncology

Featured Publications

Polyvalent design in the cGAS-STING pathway

Bennett ZT, Li S, Sumer BD, Gao J. Semin. Immunol. 2022 doi.org/10.1016/j.smim.2021.101580

Lactate increases stemness of CD8+ T cells to augment anti-tumor immunity

Feng Q, Liu Z, Yu X, Huang T, Chen J, Wang J, Wilhelm J, Li S, Song J, Li W, Sun Z, Sumer BD, Li B, Fu YX, and Gao J. Nature Comm. 2022 13 4981

Prolonged activation of innate immune pathways by a polyvalent STING agonist

Li S, Luo M, Wang ZH, Feng Q, Wilhelm J, Wang X, Li W, Wang J, Cholka A, Fu YX, Sumer BD, Yu HT, Gao J. Nature BME 2021 5 455-466

Polycarbonate-based ultra-pH sensitive nanoparticles improve therapeutic window

Wang X, Wilhelm J, Li W, Li S, Wang ZH, Huang G, Wang J, Tang H, Khorsandi S, Sun Z, Evers B, Gao J. Nature Comm. 2020 11 5828

PET Imaging of Occult Tumors by Temporal Integration of Tumor-Acidosis Signals

Huang G, Zhao T, Wang C, Nham K, Xiong Y, Gao X, Wang Y, Hao G, Ge WP, Sun X, Sumer BD, Gao J. Nature BME 2020 4 314

Exploiting metabolic acidosis in solid cancers using a tumor-agnostic pH-activatable nanoprobe for fluorescence-guided surgery

Voskuil FJ, Steinkamp PJ, Zhao T, van der Vegt B, Koller M, Doff JJ, Jayalakshmi Y, Hartung JP, Gao J, Sumer BD, Witjes MJH, van Dam GM. Nature Comm. 2020 11 3257

Transistor-like Ultra-pH-Sensitive Polymeric Nanoparticles

Feng Q, Wilhelm J, Gao J. Acc. Chem. Res. 2019 52 1485-1495

Cooperativity Principles in Self-Assembled Nanomedicine

Li Y, Wang Y, Huang G, Gao J. Chem. Rev. 2018 118 5359-5391

Small-molecule TFEB pathway agonists that ameliorate metabolic syndrome in mice and extend C. elegans lifespan

Wang C, Niederstrasser H, Li Y, Olswald N, Lin R, Jaramillo J, Douglas P, MacMillan E, Wang Z, Brekken R, Posner BA, MacMillan JB, Hang G, Gao J, White MA. Nature Comm. 2017 8 2270

A STING-Activating Nanovaccine for Cancer Immunotherapy

Luo M, Wang H, Wang Z, Cai H, Lu Z, Li Y, Du M, Huang G, Wang C, Chen X, Porembka MR, Lea J, Frankel AE, Fu Y, Chen ZJ, Gao J. Nature Nanotech. 2017 12 648-654