Dr. Jason Cheng is a board-certified hematopathologist and cancer biologist. His clinical focus includes bone marrow failure/aplastic anemia, germline predisposition-associated hematopoietic neoplasms, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), MDS/MPN overlap, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Dr. Cheng’s research centers on the genetic and epigenetic regulation of hematopoiesis and hematologic malignancies. Specifically, his recent work focuses on developing novel, RNA epigenetics-driven diagnostics and therapeutics to predict and overcome multidrug resistance in MDS, AML, and other cancer subtypes. This work has been supported by funding from the Cancer Research Foundation Young Investigator Award, the American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grants, the Swim Across America/Rush University/University of Chicago ITM Cancer Research Award, the Michael Reese Foundation Bench to Bedside Award, and the Taub Foundation MDS Program.
Dr. Cheng obtained his medical degree from Kunming Medical University in Kunming, China, where he completed a surgical residency. He also completed postgraduate training in Tumor Pathology at the Peking University School of Medicine in Beijing, China. Dr. Cheng then earned his PhD in Pharmacology at UNC-Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) under the guidance of Professor Rudolph L. Juliano, who co-discovered the multidrug-resistant protein/P-glycoprotein with Professor Victor Ling. During his doctoral studies, Dr. Cheng invented a novel "Yeast Zinc Finger Peptide Display" technology to select zinc finger peptides with designed DNA sequence-binding specificities for artificial gene regulation and editing (Cheng and Juliano. US Patent No. 5,869,250). He completed his postdoctoral training in transcription and gene regulation at MSKCC with Professor Mark Ptashne, recipient of the 1997 Lasker Basic Research Award.
Dr. Cheng pursued and completed his AP/CP Residency at the University of Chicago (UChicago), during which he discovered the absence of INI1/SNF5/SMARCB1 expression in renal medullary carcinoma (Cheng, JX, et al. Mod Pathol. 2008; 21:647). Dr. Cheng continued his Hematopathology Fellowship under the mentorship of diagnostic hematology expert Dr. James W. Vardiman, while also conducting research on the genetic networks of hematopoiesis and the PU.1 transcription factor in the lab of Professor Harinder Singh. For his fellowship work conducting the first genome-wide profiling of DNA and histone methylation in MDS using NimbleGen promoter arrays, he received the 2008 Pathologist-in-Training Award and the Paul E. Strandjord Young Investigator Award.
More recently, Dr. Cheng’s lab discovered that specific NSUN family RNA 5-methylcytosine (RNA:m⁵C) methyltransferases—namely NSUN1 (NOP2) and NSUN2—promote cell growth and maintain multidrug resistance in MDS and AML (Cheng, JX, et al. Nat Commun. 2018). Building on this discovery, his lab developed the first-generation RNA Epigenetics-driven Multi-drug/therapy Prediction (REMDP) platform. In collaboration with Professor Rick Stevens at ANL, and by leveraging Argonne AI supercomputers, the lab identified both pan-lineage-effective and lineage-specific novel small-molecule inhibitors of NSUN1/2-associated active structures. These inhibitors effectively kill multidrug-resistant leukemia cells in in vitro cell lines and in vivo syngeneic AML mouse models. This work led to PCT International Patent Application No. PCT/US2024/027873, filed through the UChicago Intellectual Property Office.
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 Qianxin - Pathology
1990
Yunnan Red Cross Hospital
Kunming
Residency - Surgery
1987
Kunming Medical University
Kunming
Bachelor (MD equivalent) - Medicine
1983
Treatment Outcomes of Patients with Ependymoma Receiving Radiotherapy: A Single Institution Experience.
Treatment Outcomes of Patients with Ependymoma Receiving Radiotherapy: A Single Institution Experience. Oncology. 2024; 102(11):913-923.
PMID: 38471461
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
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
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
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
Brucella Periplasmic Protein EipB Is a Molecular Determinant of Cell Envelope Integrity and Virulence.
Herrou J, Willett JW, Fiebig A, Czyz DM, Cheng JX, Ultee E, Briegel A, Bigelow L, Babnigg G, Kim Y, Crosson S. Brucella Periplasmic Protein EipB Is a Molecular Determinant of Cell Envelope Integrity and Virulence. J Bacteriol. 2019 06 15; 201(12).
PMID: 30936371
Improved prognosis with induction chemotherapy in pathological complete responders after trimodality treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Hypothesis generating for adjuvant treatment.
Improved prognosis with induction chemotherapy in pathological complete responders after trimodality treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Hypothesis generating for adjuvant treatment. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2019 Aug; 45(8):1498-1504.
PMID: 30910457
Periplasmic protein EipA determines envelope stress resistance and virulence in Brucella abortus.
Periplasmic protein EipA determines envelope stress resistance and virulence in Brucella abortus. Mol Microbiol. 2019 03; 111(3):637-661.
PMID: 30536925
The Michael Reese Bench-to-Bedside Translational Science Award
Michael Reese Foundation
2020
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