Rate My Professor Xin-Yuan Guan

Professor Xin-Yuan Guan is the Chair Professor and Sophie Y M Chan Professor in Cancer Research in the Department of Clinical Oncology at the University of Hong Kong, where he also directs the Laboratory of Cancer Genetics and serves as Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Liver Research. He obtained his PhD from the University of Arizona in 1993, followed by a tenure as Senior Staff Scientist at the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health. Guan joined the University of Hong Kong in 2004 as Associate Professor, was promoted to Full Professor in 2006, and has since held endowed and leadership positions advancing cancer research.

His research specializes in cancer genetics, focusing on the tumor microenvironment, cancer stem cells, and metastatic initiation cells in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Key publications include 'miR-130b promotes CD133(+) liver tumor-initiating cell growth and self-renewal via tumor protein 53-induced nuclear protein 1' (Cell Stem Cell, 2010), 'Identification of PTK6, via RNA sequencing analysis, as a suppressor of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma' (Gastroenterology, 2012), 'SPOCK1 is regulated by CHD1L and blocks apoptosis and promotes HCC cell invasiveness and metastasis in mice' (Gastroenterology, 2013), 'Recoding RNA editing of AZIN1 predisposes to hepatocellular carcinoma' (Nature Medicine, 2013), 'Increased expression of EIF5A2, via hypoxia or gene amplification, contributes to metastasis and angiogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma' (Gastroenterology, 2014), 'Down-regulation of tumor suppressor ATOH8 increases cancer stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma' (Gastroenterology, 2015), 'RALYL increases hepatocellular carcinoma stemness by sustaining the mRNA stability of TGF-β2' (Nature Communications, 2021), and 'Comprehensive single-cell sequencing reveals the stromal dynamics and tumor-specific characteristics in the microenvironment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma' (Nature Communications, 2021). Earlier contributions feature 'AIB1, a steroid receptor coactivator amplified in breast and ovarian cancer' (Science, 1997). Guan has received the National Outstanding Young Research Award (Type B) from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 1998, the Faculty Outstanding Research Output Award from the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine in 2006, and the Outstanding Research Student Supervisor Award from the University of Hong Kong in 2015/2016. He is listed among Stanford University's top 2% scientists.