Dr. Cheng is a board-certified pathologist in Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Pathology (AP/CP) as well as in Hematology/Hematopathology. His clinical and research interests focus on hematologic diseases, including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), aplastic anemia/bone marrow failure, myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Some highlights of his academic career include: 1. Invention of a novel technology to identify sequence-specific DNA-binding peptides for transcriptional regulation and gene editing (U.S. patent no 5,869,250. Filing date: 1996/12/02; Granted date: 1999/02/09); 2. The first discovery of INI1/hSNF5/ SMARCB1 loss as a hallmark for renal medullary carcinoma (Modern Pathology, 2008); 3. Conducting the first genome-wide epigenetic profiling of MDS specimens (the 2008 USCAP-SH Pathologist-in-Training Award and the 2008 Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Award); 4. Receiving the Cancer Research Foundation Young Investigator Award, the Swim Across America-Rush University/University of Chicago Cancer Research Award and the Michael Reese Foundation Bench-to-Bedside Translational Science Award for exploring chromatin structure-based epigenetic diagnostics and therapeutics in MDS and AML; and 5. Discovery of RNA 5-methylcytsoine (RNA:m5C) methyltransferases (NSUN1 and NSUN2)-mediated drug-responsive/resistant chromatin structures in MDS and AML (Nature Communications 2018) and receiving the 2019 Taub Medical Foundation MDS Award to study the role of RNA:m5C and its methyltransferases in MDS.
The current focus of Dr. Cheng’s research is on elucidating the role of RNA epigenetics, more specifically RNA:m5C and its writers NSUN1 (NOP2/NOL1) and NSUN2, in the regulation of cellular organelle structures and functions, and developing novel RNA epigenetics-driven diagnostics and therapeutics for cancer/leukemia and other human diseases. Both NSUN1 and NSUN2 methylate cytosine residues in various RNA species to regulate multiple essential bioprocesses, including chromatin organization, gene expression, and mitochondrial metabolism, and play an important role in cell/organ development, tumor immune evasion, metastasis and drug resistance (Willbanks A, Wood S, Cheng JX. Genes. 2021). Dr. Cheng’s lab has developed novel nascent RNA-driven flow imaging technologies, NSUN1/2 expression cell lines and Nsun2 knockout (KO) mouse models, which provide valuable tools to dissect the RNA:m5C and NSUN1/2-mediated chromatin structure, transcription, translation and metabolism, and to explore the clinical potential of RNA epigenetics-driven diagnostics and therapeutics in various human diseases. More recently, in collaboration with Professor Rick Stevens at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Dr. Cheng’s lab leveraged the Argonne artificial Intelligence (AI) supercomputer and novel RNA epigenetics-driven technologies to design and screen small-molecule compound libraries that target the computationally predicted ligand-binding surfaces/modules in NSUN1 and NSUN2 proteins. They have identified several selective small-molecule inhibitors of NSUN1 and NSUN2 and demonstrated a high efficacy of the NSUN1/2 inhibitors in killing drug-resistant leukemia cells using in vitro cell lines and in vivo syngeneic AML mouse models. Those novel RNA epigenetics-driven technologies and small-molecule inhibitors hold a high-promise for development of novel NSUN1/2/RNA epigenetics-driven novel diagnostics and therapeutics for leukemia and cancer.
University of Chicago
Chicago
Clinical Fellowship mentored by Dr. James Vardiman - Hematopathology
2010
University of Chicago
Chicago
Residency - Anatomic and Clinical Pathology (AP/CP)
2008
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York
Post-doc in Dr. Mark Ptashne Lab - Molecular Biology & Yeast Genetics
2004
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill
Post-doc in Dr. Rudy Juliano Lab - Pharmacology
1999
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill
PhD mentored by Dr. Rudy Juliano - Pharmacology
1997
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill
Research Fellow - Pathology
1993
People’s Hospital of Beijing Medical University
Beijing
Instructor - Pathology
1992
Beijing Medical University
Beijing
Master of Science (MS) mentored by Dr. Guo Quanxin - Pathology
1990
Yunnan Red Cross Hospital
Kunming
Residency - Surgery
1987
Kunming Medical University
Kunming
Bachelor (MD equivalent) - Medicine
1983
Socioeconomic determinants of the biology and outcomes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults.
Socioeconomic determinants of the biology and outcomes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults. Blood Adv. 2024 01 09; 8(1):164-171.
PMID: 38039510
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia with myeloid mutations is a high-risk disease associated with clonal hematopoiesis.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia with myeloid mutations is a high-risk disease associated with clonal hematopoiesis. Blood Cancer Discov. 2023 Dec 27.
PMID: 38150184
Socioeconomic determinants of the biology and outcomes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults.
Socioeconomic determinants of the biology and outcomes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults. Blood Adv. 2023 Dec 01.
PMID: 38039510
Ozanimod-Exposed Patients with Ulcerative Colitis Undergoing Total Colectomy Exhibit Unique Lymph Node Histologic Changes.
Ozanimod-Exposed Patients with Ulcerative Colitis Undergoing Total Colectomy Exhibit Unique Lymph Node Histologic Changes. J Crohns Colitis. 2023 Oct 25.
PMID: 37879626
GLUT1 Immunohistochemistry Is a Highly Sensitive and Relatively Specific Marker for Erythroid Lineage in Benign and Malignant Hematopoietic Tissues.
GLUT1 Immunohistochemistry Is a Highly Sensitive and Relatively Specific Marker for Erythroid Lineage in Benign and Malignant Hematopoietic Tissues. Am J Clin Pathol. 2022 08 04; 158(2):228-234.
PMID: 35311938
RNA Epigenetics: Fine-Tuning Chromatin Plasticity and Transcriptional Regulation, and the Implications in Human Diseases.
RNA Epigenetics: Fine-Tuning Chromatin Plasticity and Transcriptional Regulation, and the Implications in Human Diseases. Genes (Basel). 2021 04 22; 12(5).
PMID: 33922187
OTS167 blocks FLT3 translation and synergizes with FLT3 inhibitors in FLT3 mutant acute myeloid leukemia.
OTS167 blocks FLT3 translation and synergizes with FLT3 inhibitors in FLT3 mutant acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Cancer J. 2021 03 03; 11(3):48.
PMID: 33658483
The Role of RNA Modifications and RNA-modifying Proteins in Cancer Therapy and Drug Resistance.
The Role of RNA Modifications and RNA-modifying Proteins in Cancer Therapy and Drug Resistance. Curr Cancer Drug Targets. 2021; 21(4):326-352.
PMID: 33504307
Cytotoxic Therapy-Induced Effects on Both Hematopoietic and Marrow Stromal Cells Promotes Therapy-Related Myeloid Neoplasms.
Cytotoxic Therapy-Induced Effects on Both Hematopoietic and Marrow Stromal Cells Promotes Therapy-Related Myeloid Neoplasms. Blood Cancer Discov. 2020 07; 1(1):32-47.
PMID: 32924016
Targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 enhances radiosensitivity and reduces the metastatic potential of Lewis lung carcinoma cells.
Tien Y, Tsai CL, Hou WH, Chiang Y, Hsu FM, Tsai YC, Cheng JC. Targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 enhances radiosensitivity and reduces the metastatic potential of Lewis lung carcinoma cells. Radiat Oncol. 2020 Mar 06; 15(1):58.
PMID: 32143669
The Michael Reese Bench-to-Bedside Translational Science Award
Michael Reese Foundation
2019
The Taub Medical foundation for MDS program Awards
The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation
2019
The Swim Across America: Rush University/UChicago ITM Pilot Award
Swim Across America.org
2016
The American Cancer Society (ACS-IRG)
University of Chicago
2014
The Young Investigator Award
Cancer Research Foundation
2014
The American Cancer Society (ACS-IRG) Award
University of Chicago
2013
The Best Oral Platform Presentation
The American Society for Clinical Pathology
2012
The Pathologist-in-Training Award
Society for Hematopathology/United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USACP)
2008
The Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Award
Academy of Clinical Physicians and Scientists
2008
The USCAP Best Abstract Award
The International Association of Chinese Pathologists
2008
The Robert E. Priest Fellowship
University of Chicago
2007
The winner of Chicago Pathology Society Resident Research Awards
Chicago Pathology Society
2007