Christina Cho, PhD
Associate Research ScientistDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Associate Research Scientist
Biography
Cancer biologist studying the form and function of cellular and non-cellular components of the solid tumor microenvironment (TME). Previous work includes identifying novel mechanosignaling pathways activated by unfolded fibronectin fibrils and delineating a novel role for type I interferon-mediating signaling in cancer-associated fibroblast activation. Currently working on profiling the immune milieu within the TME to develop novel immunotherapies.
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Associate
- University of Pennsylvania (2020)
- PhD
- Albany Medical College (2017)
- BS
- University of California-Los Angeles (2009)
Research
Overview
Previous research interests:
- Mechanosignaling within solid tumors: identifying the role of unfolded fibronectin fibrils in the cancer phenotype and drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer
- Uncovering novel anti-tumorigenic activities of type I interferons
- Investigating the role of dyresgulated cholesterol biosynthesis in solid tumor progression
Current research interests
- Identification of novel cell surface receptors and/or ligands that control T cell response to tumor antigens
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying immune evasion during tumor progression
- Development of new immuno- and chemotherapies against human cancers
Medical Research Interests
Autoimmune Diseases; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal; Digestive System Neoplasms; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Precancerous Conditions; Skin Neoplasms; Stomach Neoplasms
ORCID
0000-0001-5482-9533
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Christina Cho's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Christina Cho's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Christina Cho is interested in exploring.
Gavitt Woodard, MD
13Publications
282Citations
Neoplasms
Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal
Publications
2022
Tumor-Suppressive and Immune-Stimulating Roles of Cholesterol 25-hydroxylase in Pancreatic Cancer Cells.
McBrearty N, Cho C, Chen J, Zahedi F, Peck A, Radaelli E, Assenmacher C, Pavlak C, Devine A, Yu P, Lu Z, Zhang H, Li J, Pitarresi J, Astsaturov I, Cukierman E, Rustgi A, Stanger B, Rui H, Fuchs S. Tumor-Suppressive and Immune-Stimulating Roles of Cholesterol 25-hydroxylase in Pancreatic Cancer Cells. Molecular Cancer Research 2022, 21: 228-239. PMID: 36378658, PMCID: PMC9992122, DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-22-0602.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPancreatic ductal adenocarcinomaPancreatic cancer cellsPDAC cellsCH25H expressionTumor growthT cell tumor infiltrationMouse PDAC cellsImmune checkpoint inhibitorsCancer cellsDownregulation of MHCPancreatic intraepithelial neoplasiaImmune-competent hostsHuman pancreatic cancerPotential translational importanceAccumulation of cholesterolCheckpoint inhibitorsIntraepithelial neoplasiaPoor prognosisTumor infiltrationPancreatic cancerDuctal adenocarcinomaTherapeutic approachesCH25HTumor progressionCholesterol deficitInduction of the activating transcription factor-4 in the intratumoral CD8+ T cells sustains their viability and anti-tumor activities
Lu Z, Bae E, Verginadis I, Zhang H, Cho C, McBrearty N, George S, Diehl J, Koumenis C, Bradley L, Fuchs S. Induction of the activating transcription factor-4 in the intratumoral CD8+ T cells sustains their viability and anti-tumor activities. Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy 2022, 72: 815-826. PMID: 36063172, PMCID: PMC10317204, DOI: 10.1007/s00262-022-03286-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsActivity of CD8Tumor-derived factorsT cellsTumor microenvironmentTranscription factor 4Anti-tumor immunityImmune suppressive factorsFactor 4Anti-tumor activityFunction of ATF4Anti-cancer therapyIntratumoral CD8Cytotoxic CD8Immune therapyTherapeutic regimensAntigenic stimulationCD8Suppressive factorsT lymphocytesMouse modelImpaired activationWild-type counterpartsSelective ablationTherapyInduction of ATF4Could Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Copy Number Alterations be a Predictive Biomarker for Immunotherapy Response?
Woodard GA, Cho C, Chen L. Could Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Copy Number Alterations be a Predictive Biomarker for Immunotherapy Response? Journal Of Thoracic Oncology 2022, 17: 592-595. PMID: 35465963, DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2022.03.009.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsAblation of T cell-associated PD-1H enhances functionality and promotes adoptive immunotherapy
Hu L, Chen L, Xiao Z, Zheng X, Chen Y, Xian N, Cho C, Luo L, Huang G, Chen L. Ablation of T cell-associated PD-1H enhances functionality and promotes adoptive immunotherapy. JCI Insight 2022, 7: e148247. PMID: 34905507, PMCID: PMC8855794, DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.148247.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPD-1HT cellsAdoptive immunotherapyT cell-mediated immune responsesT-cell adoptive immunotherapyAdoptive T-cell therapyCell-mediated immune responsesTumor-infiltrating CD8Antitumor activityT-cell therapySyngeneic mouse tumorsCAR T cellsDeath-1 homologExperimental tumor modelsAdoptive transferActivated CD8Coinhibitory moleculesCytokine productionDeficient miceImmune responseHuman xenograftsCD8Tumor microenvironmentTumor modelMouse tumors
2021
Regulation of intercellular biomolecule transfer–driven tumor angiogenesis and responses to anticancer therapies
Lu Z, Ortiz A, Verginadis I, Peck A, Zahedi F, Cho C, Yu P, DeRita R, Zhang H, Kubanoff R, Sun Y, Yaspan A, Krespan E, Beiting D, Radaelli E, Ryeom S, Diehl J, Rui H, Koumenis C, Fuchs S. Regulation of intercellular biomolecule transfer–driven tumor angiogenesis and responses to anticancer therapies. Journal Of Clinical Investigation 2021, 131: e144225. PMID: 33998600, PMCID: PMC8121529, DOI: 10.1172/jci144225.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsTumor growthEndothelial cellsMetastatic diseaseAnticancer therapyPoor disease outcomeColorectal cancerIntratumoral angiogenesisAngiostatic effectsDisease outcomeTherapeutic effectSide effectsOverall efficacyPharmacologic inhibitionTumor angiogenesisCH25HTherapyBenign cellsAngiogenesisDiseaseLow levelsCellsRegimensPatientsReserpineCancer
2020
Cancer-associated fibroblasts downregulate type I interferon receptor to stimulate intratumoral stromagenesis
Cho C, Mukherjee R, Peck AR, Sun Y, McBrearty N, Katlinski KV, Gui J, Govindaraju PK, Puré E, Rui H, Fuchs SY. Cancer-associated fibroblasts downregulate type I interferon receptor to stimulate intratumoral stromagenesis. Oncogene 2020, 39: 6129-6137. PMID: 32807917, PMCID: PMC7502515, DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-01424-7.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCancer-associated fibroblastsFibroblast activation proteinType I interferon receptorTumor growthPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumorsInterferon receptorKnockdown of Smad7Human colorectal cancerGrowth of tumorsSA miceColorectal cancerAdenocarcinoma tumorsSolid tumorsIFNAR1 downregulationGenetic ablationTumorsActivation proteinElevated levelsExtracellular matrixInverse correlationMiceStromagenesisIFNAR1IFNAR1 chainFAP levelsActivation of p38α stress-activated protein kinase drives the formation of the pre-metastatic niche in the lungs
Gui J, Zahedi F, Ortiz A, Cho C, Katlinski K, Alicea-Torres K, Li J, Todd L, Zhang H, Beiting D, Sander C, Kirkwood J, Snow B, Wakeham A, Mak T, Diehl J, Koumenis C, Ryeom S, Stanger B, Puré E, Gabrilovich D, Fuchs S. Activation of p38α stress-activated protein kinase drives the formation of the pre-metastatic niche in the lungs. Nature Cancer 2020, 1: 603-619. PMID: 34124690, PMCID: PMC8194112, DOI: 10.1038/s43018-020-0064-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPre-metastatic nicheFibroblast activation proteinStress-activated protein kinasePrimary tumor-derived factorsActivation proteinDisseminated malignant cellsNormal cellsActivity of p38Tumor-derived factorsExpression of chemokinesActivation of p38αInactivation of p38Subsequent pulmonary metastasesStimulation of expressionType I interferonProtein kinaseLung infiltrationP38 inhibitorAdjuvant therapyMetastatic diseaseP38α kinasePulmonary metastasesLung metastasesPoor prognosisMetastatic cancerFibronectin in the Tumor Microenvironment Activates a TLR4-dependent Inflammatory Response in Lung Cancer Cells
Cho C, Horzempa C, Longo CM, Peters DM, Jones DM, McKeown-Longo PJ. Fibronectin in the Tumor Microenvironment Activates a TLR4-dependent Inflammatory Response in Lung Cancer Cells. Journal Of Cancer 2020, 11: 3099-3105. PMID: 32231714, PMCID: PMC7097952, DOI: 10.7150/jca.39771.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsType III domainExtracellular matrixLung cancer cellsFibronectin type III domainTumor-associated extracellular matrixCancer cellsFibronectin-rich extracellular matrixTLR4-dependent inflammatory responsesRich extracellular matrixFirst Type III domainIL-8Secondary structureStrained conformationMatrix fibronectinNF-κB pathwayEssential roleFibrotic microenvironmentTumor metastasisPathwayConformational labilityStromal cellsTumor progressionCytokine releaseLung cancerInflammatory responseActivation of p38α stress-activated protein kinase drives the formation of the pre-metastatic niche in the lungs
Gui J, Zahedi F, Ortiz A, Cho C, Katlinski K V, Alicea-Torres K et al. Activation of p38α stress-activated protein kinase drives the formation of the pre-metastatic niche in the lungs. Nat Cancer 2020; 1: 603–619Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2019
An Interferon-Driven Oxysterol-Based Defense against Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles
Ortiz A, Gui J, Zahedi F, Yu P, Cho C, Bhattacharya S, Carbone CJ, Yu Q, Katlinski KV, Katlinskaya YV, Handa S, Haas V, Volk SW, Brice AK, Wals K, Matheson NJ, Antrobus R, Ludwig S, Whiteside TL, Sander C, Tarhini AA, Kirkwood JM, Lehner PJ, Guo W, Rui H, Minn AJ, Koumenis C, Diehl JA, Fuchs SY. An Interferon-Driven Oxysterol-Based Defense against Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles. Cancer Cell 2019, 35: 33-45.e6. PMID: 30645975, PMCID: PMC6336114, DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2018.12.001.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsTumor-derived extracellular vesiclesMelanoma lung metastasisPre-metastatic nicheLung metastasesAdjuvant melanoma therapyAnti-hypertensive drugsUse of reserpineExtracellular vesiclesType I interferon receptorMelanoma patientsPoor prognosisCH25HMelanoma therapyIFN receptorInterferon receptorMetastasisNormal cellsHealthy cellsReceptorsUptakeCellsPatientsPrognosisReserpineTherapy
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
honor Robert E. Leet and Clara Guthrie Patterson Trust Mentored Research Award
National AwardHealth Resources in ActionDetails01/01/2025, 01/01/2023United Stateshonor iBiology Share Your Research Competition Winner
National AwardAlbert and Mary Lasker Foundation and Rita Allen FoundationDetails09/01/2021United Stateshonor Milstein Travel Award
National AwardInternational Cytokine and Interferon SocietyDetails10/03/2018United States