Education

Biography

Dr. Jianxun (Jim) Song is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, United States. The base of expertise on T cell biology needed to perform his research began to develop while he was a postdoctoral scholar and research scientist from the years 2001-2007 under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Croft at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. He became a junior faculty at The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in 2007, and extended his research on

Developmental Immunology and Stem Cell Biology. As a PI on previous university-, foundation-, or NIH-funded grants, he laid the groundwork for the research by developing highly reactive T lymphocytes from pluripotent stem cells (PSC). His laboratory was the first to show that induced PSC differentiate into functional T cells for cell-based therapies. In addition to having the expertise to be successful with the research, he offers leadership and administrative skills that were developed during his independence as a mentor of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. In summary, he has a demonstrated record of successful and productive research projects in the area.

Research Interest

Costimulation in T lymphocyte memory

Costimulatory signals expressed by professional antigen presenting cells (APC) are capable of promoting the formation of highly active effector T cell, which are able to develop into memory populations. However, the mechanisms by which constimlation regulates T lymphocyte memory remain uncertain. Several molecular targets of costimulation (e.g., aurora B, survivin, bcl-xL, PKB) have been identified to sustain T cell proliferation or survival, and their cooperation in promoting T cell persistence as well as tumor regression is being investigated. Findings related to this project will provide new insights into why costimulatory signals might need to be sustained over time and suggest a potential novel approach to augment cellular immunotherapy for cancer.

Regulation of differentiation of T lymphocytes from pluripotent stem cells

Most effort is being expended to develop and optimize strategies for utilizing highly reactive T lymphocytes from pluripotent stems cells (PSC) for cell-based therapies. Because of the plasticity and potentially unlimited capacity for self-renewal, PSC-derived immune cells have great potential in the treatment of diseases (e.g., cancers, autoimmune diseases). Antigen-specific highly reactive T cells can be generated by genetic modification of PSC with specific T cell receptor and stimulation with Notch signaling, and their therapeutic potential in the treatment of cancers and autoimmune diseases is being determined. Findings related to this project will contribute important information in the areas of vaccine design, autoimmune therapy, and immune-based anti-cancer strategies.

Professional Activities:

Professional Experience:

• 7/1/2014 – present Tenured Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology,The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033.
• 9/1/2007 – 6/30/2014 Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033.
• 7/1/2004 – 8/1/07 Research Scientist, Division of Molecular Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology. La Jolla, CA 92037.

Memberships:

• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR, from 2010)
• American Association of Immunologist (AAI, from 2003)

Awards and Honors

Journal Manuscript Review

Journal of Clinical Investigation, Cancer Research, Blood, Vaccine, Viral Immunology, Cell Death and Differentiation, Cellular Immunology, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, Antiviral Research, Pediatrics, Journal of Pediatrics, Journal of Immunology, Journal of Genetics and Genomics, Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Cancer Biology & Therapy, African Journal of Biotechnology, Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, Journal of Viral Hepatitis, PloS Pathogens, Clinical Transplantation, Stem Cells and Development, PloS One. International Immunopharmacology, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, CellBio, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, African Journal of Microbiology Research. World Journal of Clinical Cases

Teaching Activities

Graduate Students:

• Course director 2011: Literature Reports (MICRO 572)
• Course director 2011 – 2013: Concepts in Immunology (CMBIO/MICRO 560).
  Lecturers - T cell co-stimulation, T lymphocyte memory, Regulatory T cells.

Publications

Book

1. Song J (2014). Frontiers in Cancer Immunotherapy - Mechanisms of cancer immunity, engineering  immune-based  therapies  and  developing  clinical  trials.  Bentham  Science Publishers, UAE, in press

Book Chapters

2. Lei F, Haque R, Xiong X, and Song J (2014). Modulation of autoimmune diseases by iPS cells. Animal Models for Stem Cell Therapy: Methods and Protocols. Springer Science, New York
3. Lei F, Haque R, Xiong X, and Song J (2014). Generation of antigen-specific T lymphocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells for adoptive immunotherapy. Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells, Volume 10. Springer Science, Dordrecht
4. Haque R, Lei F, Xiong X, and Song J (2012). Stem cell-based cellular therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. Autoimmune Diseases. InTech Europe
5. Croft M, Salek-Ardakani S, Song J, So T, and Bansal-Pakala P (2003). Regulation of T cell immunity by OX40 and OX40L. The TNF Superfamily. Landes Bioscience, Texas.

Research Articles

6. Haque M, Fino K, Lei F, Xiong X, and Song J (2014). Utilizing regulatory T cells against rheumatoid arthritis. Front Oncol, 4: 209
7. Aĝirbaşli MA, Song J, Lei F, Wang S, Kunselman AR, Clark JB, Myers JL, Ündar A (2014).Comparative effects of pulsatile and nonpulsatile flow on plasma fibrinolytic balance in pediatric patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Artif Organs, 38(1): 28-33
8. Tian Y, Ni D, Yang W, Zhang Y, Zhao K, Song J, Mao Q, Tian Z, van Velkinburgh JC, Yang  D,  Wu  Y,  Ni  B  (2014).  Telbivudine  treatment  corrects  HBV-induced  epigeneticalterations in liver cells of patients with chronic hepatitis B. Carcinogenesis, 35(1): 53-61.
9. Lei F, Song J, Haque R, Xiong X, Fang D, Wu Y, Lend SM, Croft M and Song J (2013).Transgenic  expression  of  survivin  compensates  for  OX40-deficiency  in  driving  Th2 development  and  allergic  inflammation.  Eur  J  Immunol,  43  (7):  1914-1924.  PMCID: PMC3876962
10. Lei F, Song J, Haque R, Xiong X, Fang D, Croft M and Song J (2013). Regulation of A1 by OX40 contributes to CD8 T cell survival and anti-tumor activity. PLoS One, 8(8): e70635. PMCID: PMC3731243
11. Kemp KL, Lin Z, Zhao F, Gao B, Song J, Zhang K, Fang D (2013). The serine-threonine kinase inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α) promotes IL-4 production in T helper cells. J Biol Chem, 288(46): 33272-82. PMCID: PMC3829173
12. Tian Y, Yang W, Song J, Wu Y, Ni B (2013). Hepatitis B virus X protein-induced aberrant epigenetic modifications contributing to human hepatocellular carcinoma pathogenesis. Mol Cell Biol, 33(15): 2810-6. PMCID: PMC3719687
13. Haque R, Lei F, Xiong X, Bian Y, Zhao B, Wu Y and Song J (2012). Programming of regulatory T cells from pluripotent stem cells and prevention of autoimmunity. J Immunol 189 (3): 1228-1236. PMCID: PMC3401327
14. Lei F, Haque R, Xiong X, and Song J (2012). Directed differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells towards T lymphocytes. J Vis Exp. (63), e3986. PMCID: PMC3389997
15. Lin Z, Yang H, Kong Q, Li J, Lee SM, Gao B, Dong H, Wei J, Song J, Zhang DD, and Fang D (2012). USP22 Antagonizes p53 Transcriptional Activation by Deubiquitinating Sirt1 to Suppress Cell Apoptosis and Is Required for Mouse Embryonic Development. Mol Cell, 46(4): 484-494. PMID: 22542455
16. Lei F, Haque R, Xiong X, Budgeon L, Christensen ND, Wu Y and Song J (2011). In vivo programming of tumor antigen-specific T lymphocytes from pluripotent stem cells to promote cancer immunosurveillance. Cancer Res, 71(14): 4742-4747. PMID: 21628492
17. Tian Y, Jia Z, Wang J, Huang Z, Tang J, Zheng Y, Tang Y, Wang Q, Tian Z, Yang D, Zhang Y, Fu X, Song J, Liu S, van Velkinburgh JC, Wu Y, Ni B (2011). Global mapping of H3K4me1 and H3K4me3 reveals the chromatin state-based cell type-specific gene regulation in human Treg cells. PLoS One. 2011; 6(11):e27770. PMID: 22132139
18. Haque R, Lei F, Xiong X, and Song J (2011). The regulation of FoxP3-expressing regulatory T cells. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets, 11: 334-336. PMID: 21696363
19. Haque R, Lei F, Xiong X, Wu Y, and Song J (2010). FoxP3 and Bcl-xL cooperatively promote regulatory T cell persistence and prevention of arthritis development. Arthritis Res Ther 12(2): R66. PMID 19454669
20. Lei F, Haque R, Weiler L, Vrana KE, and Song J (2009). T lineage differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells. Cell Immunol 260 (1): 1-5. PMID 19811778
21. Zhao B, Song A, Haque R, Lei F, Weiler L, Xiong X, Wu Y, Croft M, and Song J (2009). Cooperation between molecular targets of costimulation in promoting T cell persistence and tumor regression. J Immunol 182 (11): 6744-6752. PMID 19454669
22. Song J, So T and Croft M (2008). Activation of NF-kappaB1 by OX40 contributes to antigen-driven T cell expansion and survival. J Immunol 180(11): 7240-7248.  PMCID: PMC2410213
23. Song J, Lei F, Xiong X and Haque R (2008). Intracellular signals of T cell costimulation. Cell Mol Immunol 5 (4): 239-247. PMID 18761811
24. Song J, Salek-Ardakani S, So T, and Croft M (2007). The kinases aurora B and mTOR regulate the G1-S cell cycle progression of T lymphocytes. Nat Immunol 8 (1): 64-73. PMID: 17128276
25. Song A, Song J, Tang X, Croft M (2007). Cooperation between CD4 and CD8 T cells foranti-tumor activity is enhanced by OX40 signals. Eur J Immunol 37(5): 1224-1232. PMID 17429847
26. So T, Song J, Sugie K, Altman A, and Croft M (2006). Signals from OX40 regulate NFATc1 and Th2 lineage commitment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103(10): 3740-3745. PMCID: PMC1450148
27. Song J, So T, Cheng M, Tang X and Croft M (2005). Sustained Survivin expression from OX40 costimilatory signals drives T cell clonal expansion. Immunity 22(5): 621-631. PMID 15894279
28. Barouch-Bentov R, Lemmens EE, Hu J, Janssen EM, Droin NM, Song J, Schoenberger SP, Altman  A  (2005).  Protein  kinase  C-theta  is  an  early  survival  factor  required  for differentiation of effector CD8+ T cells. J Immunol 175(8): 5126-5134. PMID: 16210616
29. Song J, Salek-Ardakani S, Rogers PR, Cheng M, Parijs LV, and Croft M (2004). The costimulation-regulated duration of PKB activation controls T cell longevity. Nat Immunol 4(2): 150-158. PMID 4730361
30. Lawson BR, Baccala R, Song J, Croft M, Kono DH, Theofilopoulos AN (2004). Deficiency of        the    Cyclin    Kinase    Inhibitor    p21    (WAF-1/CIP-1)    Promotes    Apoptosis    of Activated/Memory T Cells and Inhibits Spontaneous Systemic Autoimmunity. J Exp Med
    199(4): 547-557. PMCID: PMC2194076
31. Salek-Ardakani S, Song J, Halteman BS, Jember AG, Akiba H, Yagita H, Croft M (2003). OX40 (CD134) controls memory T helper 2 cells that drive lung inflammation. J Exp Med 198(8): 315-324. PMCID: PMC2194076
32. Rogers PR1, Song J1, Gramaglia I, Killeen N and Croft M (2001). OX40 promotes Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 expression and is essential for long-term survival of CD4 T cells. Immunity 14(9): 445-455 (1: joint first authorship). PMID 19454669
(There are additional 20 research papers published in non-English journals)

Invited Lectures