Yibing Qyang, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and of PathologyCards
About
Titles
Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and of Pathology
Section of Cardiovascular Medicine
Biography
Yibing Qyang obtained his B.S. degree from the Department of Biochemistry, Nanjing University, China and subsequently pursued a M.S. degree at the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He next joined the Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. After receiving his Ph.D. degree, he was trained with Dr. Kenneth R. Chien at the University of California, San Diego and then the Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Stem Cell Institute. In October 2008, Dr. Qyang became a principal investigator at the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center and Section of Cardiology, Dept. of Internal Medicine, and Yale Stem Cell Center. Since 2010, he has been the Director of the Yale Stem Cell Research Forum. The Qyang laboratory is interested in employing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and tissue engineering to develop novel experimental models of human cardiovascular diseases for the purpose of elucidating causative mechanisms and identifying potential therapeutic interventions to treat these diseases.
Currently, the Qyang laboratory has the following members:
1. Muhammad Riaz, Ph.D., Research Scientist, graduated from Erasmus University Medical-Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2012, and joined the lab in 2017.
2. Xin Li, Ph.D., Associate Research Scientist, graduated from Harbin Medical University in China in 2014, and joined the lab in 2022.
3. Hangqi Luo, M.D., Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate, graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2022 and joined the lab in 2022.
4. Zhen Xu, Ph.D., Associate Research Scientist, graduated from City University of Hong Kong in 2018, and joined the lab in 2023.
5 Yinsheng Lu, M.S., Yale graduate student, studying “Enhancement of contractile function of tissue-engineered pulsatile conduits”, 2024-present.
6. Yufeng Liu, B.S., Yale graduate student, studying “Macrophage and human heart function”, 2024-present.
7. Qinzhe Xing, B.S., Yale graduate student, studying “3D printing and cardiovascular tissue engineering”, 2024-present.
8. Saba Fooladi, M.S., Yale Postgraduate Associate, studying “Endothelialization of tissue-engineered pulsatile conduits”, 2023-present.
9. Marie Hoareau, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate, studying "De novo elastin assembly for the treatment of elastinopathy in the cardiovascular system", 2023-present.
10. Wei Zhang, MD, Postdoctoral Associate, studying "Universal donor tissue engineered vascular grafts for congenital vascular repair", 2023-present.
11. Meghan Fallon, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate, studying "Tissue engineered vascular grafts for arteriovenous implantation", 2024-present.
12. Jordan Thomas, Yale college student, studying "Valve-containing vein scaffolds for tissue engineering", 2023-present.
Previous Qyang lab members:
1. Jinkyu Park, Ph.D. (graduated from Seoul National University, South Korea), postdoc training in Qyang lab (Dr. Park won a Department of Defense Award; $334,994; 1/1/2020-12/31/2022), now Assistant Professor in College of Medicine, Hallym University, South Korea.
2. Jiesi Luo, Ph.D. (graduated from Michigan State University, USA), postdoc training in Qyang lab (Dr. Luo won an AHA postdoctoral fellowship; 1/1/2019-1/1/2021), now Assistant Professor in School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, China.
3. Min Young Lee, D.V.M, Ph.D. (graduated from Chonnam National University, Korea), postdoc training in Qyang lab (2009-2012), now Professor in Department of Molecular Physiology, College of Pharmacy, Kyungpook National University , South Korea.
4. Esra Cagavi, Ph.D. (graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, USA), postdoc training in Qyang lab (2010-2012), now Associate Professor in Istanbul Medipol University, Regenerative and Restorative Medical Research Center, Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
5. Xin Ge, Ph.D., (graduated from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA), postdoc training in Qyang lab (2010-2013). Dr. Ge was awarded a Brown-Coxe postdoctoral fellowship ($50,000; 7/1/2011 – 6/31/2012). Dr. Ge is now a Research Scientist in Shanghai Jiaotong University, China.
6. Matthew Ellis, B.S., graduated from University of Washington, Seattle, in 2015, and joined the lab as a Yale Ph.D. graduate student on 4/1/2017 (graduated 5/1/2022). Matthew won an NIH F31 predoctoral fellowship (9/1/2019-8/31/2021). Now a Postdoctoral Fellow with Drs. Farah Sheikh and Andrew McCulloch at UCSD.
7. Christopher Anderson, B.S., graduated from University of St. Thomas in 2015 and also Johns Hopkins University in 2017. He joined the lab as a Yale Ph.D. graduate student on 6/1/2017 (graduated 5/1/2022). Chris won an NIH F31 predoctoral fellowship (9/1/2018-8/31/2021) and an NIH Diversity Supplemental Award (9/1/2021-8/31/2022). Now a Postdoctoral Fellow with Dr. Andrew McCulloch at UCSD.
8. Luke Batty, M.S., graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, in 2017, and joined the lab as a Yale graduate student since 4/1/2018. Luke has won the Yale University Gruber Science Fellowship in 2017, an NIH F31 predoctoral fellowship (9/1/2019-8/31/2022), and an NIH Diversity Supplemental Award (9/1/2022-8/31/2023). Luke successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on May 4, 2023. Now a Postdoctoral Fellow at Boehringer Ingelheim.
9. Ariana Wei, M.S., joined the lab (1/1/2022-5/31/2022) as a Yale M.S. graduate student for her thesis work. She is working as a Research Associate at Altos Labs.
10. Yongming Ren, Ph.D. (now a Senior Scientist at Vita Therapeutics, USA), graduated from Tsinghua University, China, in 2007. Dr. Ren was awarded a Connecticut Stem Cell grant ($200,000; 11/1/2012 – 10/30/2014).
11. Oscar Bartulos-Encinas, Ph.D. (now Senior Scientist at Pluriomics Biotechnology, The Netherlands), graduated from University of Madrid, Spain, in 2009. Dr. Bartulos was awarded a Connecticut Stem Cell grant ($200,000; 11/1/2013 – 10/30/2015).
12. Peter John Amos, Ph.D., (graduated from University of Virginia), postdoc training in Qyang lab (2010-2013), now an officer for Patents and Innovations in Life Sciences in Seattle. Dr. Amos was awarded a Connecticut Stem Cell grant ($200,000; 9/1/2011 – 6/30/2013) during his training in Qyang lab.
13. Colleen A. Lopez, Ph.D., Postdoc Fellows, graduated from University of Oxford in May 2019 and joined the lab in April 2019. She is now a Scientific Consultant for Clearview Healthcare Partners. Dr. Lopez was awarded an NIH T32 postdoc fellowship (4/1/2019 – 3/31/2021).
14. Subhash K. Das, Ph.D., graduated from University of Alberta, Edmonton. Canada. January 2011 - May 2016, joined the lab in November 2016, and now is a scientist in University of Alberta.
15. Biraja Dash, Ph.D., graduated from Network of Excellence in Functional Biomaterials, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland in 2014, trained in Qyang lab (2013-2016), now is a scientist at Department of Surgery, Yale University.
16. Zhengxin Jiang, Ph.D. (graduated from Baylor College of Medicine, USA), postdoc training in Qyang lab (2013-2015), now is the Director, Research & Development at Pregene Biotechnology.
17. Ting Yi, Ph.D. (Postdoc), graduated from University of Vermont, USA in 2013, trained in Qyang lab (2013-2015), now working on Business Development at Rallybio.
18. Yuyao Lin, M.D., Ph.D. candidate from Xi'An Jiaotong University School of Medicine, China, joined the lab 10/1/2018-9/30/2020. Now Dr. Lin is a physician scientist at Xi'An Jiaotong University.
19. Xiangyu Shi, M.D., Ph.D. candidate from Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, China, joined the lab 7/1/2018-8/31/2020. Now Dr. Shi is a physician scientist at Central South University.
20. Xia Li, M.B., visiting scholar from China, and now a research assistant at Yale (2015-2017).
21. Carol Suh, graduate student who obtained a M.S. degree (2012-2014). She obtained her B.S. from Harvard University in 2011, and works as a Principal at the Biotech Venture Capital at ARCH Venture Partners.
22. Hongwei Wu, M.D., visiting student who obtained Ph.D. degree (2011-2014). He was from The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, China.
23. Yan Xu, M.D., visiting scholar (2014) from The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, China.
24. Xiaoqiang Cong, M.D., visiting scholar (2016-2017) from the First Hospital of Jilin University, China.
25. Jessica Tuan, Master Student at Yale Biomedical Engineering (2011-2012), medical school training at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Now an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Infectious Disease) at Yale University.
26. Caroline Greenberg, Summer Intern 2011, Medical Student in Yale School of Medicine. Now she works in NEW HAVEN, CT and specializes in Internal Medicine.
27. Andre Alcon, Summer Intern 2011, Medical Student in Yale School of Medicine. Now a plastic surgeon at Walnut Creek Medical Center, Walnut Creek, CA
28. Grant Senyei, Yale Undergraduate student (2008-2010), with medical school training at Northwestern University School of Medicine. Dr. Grant D. Senyei is now a pulmonologist in San Diego, California and is affiliated with VA San Diego Healthcare System.
29. Karen Xiao, Summer Intern 2012, undergraduate student at Georgetown University. Now a clinical fellow at Yale New Haven Hospital.
30. Zelun Wang, undergraduate summer student 2013 from Rice University, now a MD/PhD student in Washington University Saint Louis.
31. Nicole Boardman, Yale Junior Undergraduate Student trained in the Qyang lab (2016-2017) and with medical school training in Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Arizona. Now an OB/GYN resident physician at Banner University in Tucson, Arizona.
32. Mengyan Liu, undergraduate summer student 2014 from University of New Haven. Now a Doctoral Fellow at University of Massachusetts Lowell.
33. Angelica Lorenzo, undergraduate student 2022 (cardiac engineering training in the Spring semester) from Yale University Department of Biomedical Engineering, Bachelor of Science.
34. Layla Hedroug, undergraduate student 2022 (cardiac engineering training in the Spring semester) from Yale University, Bachelor of Arts, Global Affairs.
35. Hong Wu, Ph.D., visiting scholar from China (2014-2015). He is now a Professor, Henan University.
36. Jiahui Zhou, M.D., visiting scholar from China (2017-2018). He is now a physician at Guangdong General Hospital.
37. Meera Balasankar Priyadarshini, Ph.D., Associate Research Scientist, graduated from National University of Singapore and worked at Yale 2022-2023.
38. Yan Huang, Ph.D., Associate Research Scientist, graduated from Hunan Medical University in China in 1998, and joined the lab (2018-2022).
Appointments
Cardiovascular Medicine
Associate Professor on TermPrimaryPathology
Associate Professor on TermSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Cardiomyopathy & Inherited Cardiovascular Disease Program
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics and Development
- Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Physiology
- Pathology
- Pathology and Molecular Medicine
- Pathology Research
- Qyang Lab
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program
- Yale Cardiovascular Research Center (YCVRC)
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
- Yale Stem Cell Center
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- PhD
- University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (2002)
- MS
- University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (1999)
Research
Overview
Our stem cell and regenerative medicine laboratory focuses on establishing novel cellular, tissue engineered, and animal models of human cardiovascular diseases for the purpose of elucidating causative mechanisms and identifying therapeutic interventions to treat these diseases. Our research covers the following areas:
1. Vascular tissue engineering and repair: Our group has used Sendai virus, integration-free technology to produce induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic human donor cells via introduction of stem cell factors. iPSCs are self-renewable and can differentiate into functional vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs), providing an unlimited source of vascular cells for generation of tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) for treating narrowing/blockage of arteries-the largest cause of mortality in the developed world.
We have generated mechanically robust small-diameter (2-4 mm) TEVGs by seeding human iPSC-VSMCs onto biodegradable polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffolds in custom made bioreactors. Coupled with decellularization and subsequent re-endothelialization strategies using human iPSC-derived ECs (hiPSC-ECs) in both rat and pig models, our studies lay the foundation for the future production of therapeutic, “off the shelf” ready TEVGs for clinical use. Additionally, we are developing culture strategies to create fully cellular “universal” endothelialized hiPSC-TEVGs that are immunocompatible and readily available to any patient recipient. Recent studies were reported in Gui et al., Biomaterials 2016, 102:120-129; Luo et al., Cell Stem Cell 2020, 26:251-261; and Luo et al., Circulation Research 2022, 130:925-927 in collaboration with Dr. Laura Niklason. New scientists are welcome to join and learn stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and animal modeling.
We have developed “universal” human iPSCs by using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to knock-out the adaptive immune mediating MHC class I and II molecules, paired with the ectopic expression of the macrophage and natural killer (NK) cell suppressor molecule CD47 with TALEN-mediated insertion at the AAVSI "safe harbor" gene locus. We utilize RRGS rats, which are deficient in T, B, and NK cells and allow effective immune humanization with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), to assess the immunogenicity of engineered tissues using this “universal donor” cell line. Immune-humanized rats enable the investigation of the efficacy of decellularized hiPSC-TEVGs endothelialized with universal hiPSC-ECs, establishing the foundation for future assessments of this TEVG system in non-human primates as a therapeutic. New scientists can join this project and learn CRISPR and TALEN gene editing, tissue engineering, and immunology.
2. Vascular disease mechanisms and drug screening: Patient-specific vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) facilitate the study of clinically manifesting vascular disease and the development of novel therapeutic interventions. We were the first to describe the development of a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line from a patient with the vascular condition supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS). SVAS iPSC-VSMCs recapitulate key pathological features of patients with SVAS and provide a promising strategy to study disease mechanisms and to develop novel therapies (Ge et al., Circulation 2012, 126: 1695-1704; Dash et al., Stem Cell Reports 2016, 7: 19-28; Ellis et al., JMCC 2022, 163:167-174; and Ellis et al., 2023, under revision by Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology). The objectives of our research program are to obtain mechanistic insights into how elastin inhibits the hyperproliferation of SVAS iPSC-VSMCs in addition to screening for clinically applicable small molecules that ameliorate the hyperproliferative defect in SVAS. By studying SVAS, a disease with an intrinsic defect in VSMC proliferation, we may ultimately be able develop novel therapies for multiple vascular proliferative diseases. New scientists are welcome to join this project and learn vascular disease mechanisms and drug screening using patient stem cell modeling.
3. Mechanistic cardiac disease modeling: Human iPSCs provide a unique resource for generating patient-specific cardiomyocytes to study cardiac disease mechanisms for new treatments. We were the first group to report small molecule Wnt inhibitor IWP1 or IWP4-based, highly efficient production of functional cardiomyocytes from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or iPSCs (Ren et al., J Mol Cell Cardiol 2011, 51: 280-7). We have used iPSC and tissue engineering approaches to study the functional consequences of sarcomeric and stretch-sensing mutations in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM; thickening of the heart tissue, affecting 1 out of 500 people). We have derived iPSCs from patients with MYH7 (sarcomeric) and MLP (stretch-sensing) mutations and are investigating mechanotransduction mediated disease mechanisms by producing engineered heart tissues (EHTs) that can be precisely stretched in collaboration with Dr. Stuart Campbell (Riaz et al., Circulation 2022, 145:1238-1253). New scientists can join this project, gain experience in studying cardiac disease mechanisms, and learn how to design potential drug screening approaches to treat this devastating heart disease.
4. Congenital heart repair using human iPSC-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes: Single ventricle congenital heart defects (SVCHD) affect approximately 1 in 1000 live births and pose a prominent medical issue. Children born with these defects have a 70% mortality rate if there is no appropriate surgical intervention. The Fontan procedure consists of three surgeries spanning the first 2-3 years of life, which provides ample time to produce a personalized iPSC-based therapeutic. We have validated and optimized a modular design strategy for producing a contractile Fontan conduit that incorporates engineered heart tissues (EHTs) made by seeding iPSC-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes (iPSC-VCMs) into decellularized porcine heart matrices with a native fiber alignment that is crucial for force generation. Novel contractile Fontan conduits, currently named tissue engineered pulsatile conduits (TEPCs), have been developed by wrapping EHTs around decellularized human umbilical arteries (HUAs) to produce functional tissues capable of supporting blood flow and creating driving pressures (Park et al., Acta Biomater. 2020, 102:220-230; Park et al., 2023, under revision by Cell Stem Cell). Importantly, TEPCs will further be subjected to biomimetic mechanical and electrical stimulation to induce maximal force production in bioreactors. New scientists can join this project and learn iPSC culture, cardiac differentiation, tissue engineering, and animal modeling.
5. Ischemic heart repair based on cardiac progenitor cells: We have established robust cardiac differentiation approaches in human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and iPSCs to derive ISL1+ cardiovascular progenitor cells (ISL1-CPCs), a CPC population representative of an authentic cardiac origin, for repairing ischemic cardiac injury. We show that ISL1-CPCs have important physiological effects to improve heart contractile function, reduce scar size, and increase blood vessel formation in mouse models (Bartulos et al in Qyang group, JCI Insight 2016, 1:e80920). Thus, our findings indicate that the ISL1-CPC approach may represent a significant advance in the heart repair field. Future efforts will be made to translate ISL1-CPC heart repair from the mouse to large animal models. New scientists joining this project will learn how to isolate ISL1-CPCs from human ESCs and iPSCs, generate cardiac progenitor-based tissues, and gain experience in cardiac repair and regeneration.
6. Preclinical modeling of cardiovascular repair and regeneration: We have generated robust iPSC lines from pigs for the purpose of preclinical studies (Luo et al., Biomaterials 2017, 147:116-132; Batty et al., 2023, under review by Biomaterials). The availability of pig iPSCs will enable us to engineer the same kind of cardiovascular tissues we want to see used in the clinic, and then test them in pigs, which closely mimic human cardiovascular physiology. Our pig-to-pig studies will provide critical preclinical knowledge for the eventual application of human-to-human autologous and allogeneic stem cell-based cardiovascular repair and regeneration therapies. New scientists joining this project will learn how to derive functional cardiovascular cells from pig iPSCs for cardiovascular tissue engineering and investigate the therapeutic efficacy of engineered cardiovascular tissues in preclinical porcine models.
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
News & Links
Media
News
- March 11, 2024
Engineering a Heart Conduit: New $2M NIH Grant for Yale Research
- November 13, 2022
Óscar Bártulos-Encinas: charting a path for safer and faster therapies
- August 12, 2022
Career Development Pathways for Early-Stage Investigators
- July 27, 2022
Uncovering New Approaches to a Common Inherited Heart Disorder