Wei Yang, PhD

Director, Biomarker Discovery Platform, General Surgery
Email:wei.yang@cshs.org
Phone:(310) 423-7142

Institute Affiliation

Cancer Institute

Academic Appointments

Assistant Professor, Surgery

Awards and Activities

DoD Prostate Cancer Postdoctoral Training Award2008
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)2007
Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO)2007
Sigma Xi2009

Research Focus

Discover novel cancer biomarkers and decode cancer cell signaling networks by applying quantitative and functional proteomics.

Research Contributions

Applied quantitative and functional proteomics tools to discover molecular networks underlying the development and progression of various cancers, such as prostate cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, as well as head and neck cancer. Developed a novel method termed PalmPISC for proteome-scale characterization of S-acylated (palmitoylated) proteins.

Current investigations include:

Discover cancer biomarkers from biofluids through quantitative proteomics analysis of circulating microvesicles. Decode cancer cell signaling networks through proteome-scale characterization and quantitation of reversible post-translational modifications such as palmitoylation and phosphorylation.

Selected Publications

  1. Yang W, Chung YG, Kim Y, Kim TK, Keay SK, Zhang CO, Ji M, Hwang D, Kim KP, Steen H, Freeman MR, Kim J: Quantitative proteomics identifies a beta-catenin network as an element of the signaling response to Frizzled-8 protein-related antiproliferative factor. Mol. Cell Proteomics, 10(6): M110.007492, 2011
  2. Yang W, Cai Q, Lui VW, Everley PA, Kim J, Bhola N, Quesnelle KM, Zetter BR, Steen H, Freeman MR, Grandis JR: Quantitative proteomics analysis reveals molecular networks regulated by epidermal growth factor receptor level in head and neck cancer. J. Proteome Res., 9(6): 3073-82, 2010
  3. Yang W, Di Vizio D, Kirchner M, Steen H, Freeman MR: Proteome scale characterization of human S-acylated proteins in lipid raft-enriched and non-raft membranes. Mol. Cell Proteomics, 9(1): 54-70, 2009
  4. Adam RM, Yang W, Di Vizio D, Mukhopadhyay NK, Steen H: Rapid preparation of nuclei-depleted detergent-resistant membrane fractions suitable for proteomics analysis. BMC Cell Biol., 9: 30, 2008
  5. Yang W, Steen H, Freeman MR: Proteomic approaches to the analysis of multiprotein signaling complexes. Proteomics, 8(4): 832-51, 2008
  6. Yang W, Liu P, Liu Y, Wang Q, Tong Y, Ji J: Proteomic analysis of rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. Proteomics, 6(10): 2982-90, 2006
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