The Best of the AACR Journals Collection: Author Profiles

Handan Xiang
Title & Affiliation:
Senior Scientist, Discovery Immunology, Merck Research Laboratories Massachusetts, LLC, Boston, MA.
Most-cited Article:
Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Promote Immunosuppression by Inducing ROS-Generating Monocytic MDSCs in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Q: What is your primary area of study/research?
A: Immuno-oncology, immunology, and drug discovery.
Q: What influenced your decision to embark on a research career?
A: My dad, who was a lung cancer patient but eventually lost his battle after fighting cancer for 6 years. After witnessing his sufferings over years when I was in high school, I was very determined to become a biomedical researcher with the hope to help families like mine.
Q; What excites you most about your research area?
A: The emergence of cutting-edge sequencing technology, new drug targets, and novel therapeutic modalities has revolutionized disease treatment in the recent decade. What excites me most, is that now we have different arsenals in the warehouse to combat various diseases from cancer to autoimmunity. I’m also proud to be part of this ongoing effort in the biomedical research field to bring better care to patients.
Q: What do you do for fun outside of work? What are your passions and hobbies?
A: I’m mom to a set of 2-year-old twin boys. Yes, I had different fun activities before becoming a mom. Now, taking care of my kids basically consumes all my time, but I am very fortunate to have them in my life and enjoy their company. My recent hobby is to watch them playing together and fighting for toys, although I always end up stepping in to calm down the crying one who lost in a fight.
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