Jianping Huang, MD, PhD

jianping-huang-bioSpecial Interests

Biography

Dr. Jianping Huang joined the faculty of the University of Florida in 2013 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and as Director of Clinical Laboratory Operations for the UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program. She earned a medical degree from Harbin Medical University in Harbin, China and a PhD in biochemistry and cell biology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China. Dr. Huang’s research focus during the past decade has been on cancer immunotherapy, an approach that stimulates the patients’ own immune system to attack cancer cells.

Before moving to Florida, Dr. Huang served for more than a decade at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2002 she joined the Surgery Branch at the NCI where, under the leadership of Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg, she developed a broad knowledge of human immunology and a passion for cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Huang conducted pivotal research for the Surgery Branch and spearheaded efforts to characterize effective antitumor T cells for use in clinical trials. Her key research into the phenotype and function of human T cells for use in adoptive immunotherapy for cancer, as well as research that identified tumor-specific antigens associated with clinical response, led to eight published articles during her tenure with the Surgery Branch. In 2009 Dr. Huang accepted a position as the Head of Molecular Immunology Group at the NCI’s Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, where she directed studies in basic tumor immunology, the evaluation of clinical trials, and the development of novel strategies for cancer immunotherapy. A special focus of her research was soluble factors that promote strong immune regulatory functions, and their potential clinical applications in cancer immunotherapy. During her federal service, Dr. Huang received six performance awards from the NCI.

Dr. Huang recently established an international partnership with Neurosurgeons and Neuroscientist in China. This collaborative program in brain tumor immunotherapy includes both scientific research and clinical applications that will broaden the arena for future studies in the field of cancer immunotherapy.

Dr. Huang will focus on combining both active and passive immunotherapies for brain tumors, with the goal of achieving positive and enduring clinical outcomes. She believes that exploring these approaches at the cellular and molecular levels will improve our understanding of basic immunology and enhance the clinical practice of cancer immunotherapy.