Xiaoqi Sun

Xiaoqi Sun, PhD

About Me

Xiaoqi (Kevin) Sun is an Assistant Professor with Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, the Icahn Genomics Institute, and the Marc and Jennifer Lipzhultz Precision Immunology Institute (PrIISM) at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS).

Dr. Sun earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 2021 and worked as a Scientist and the Non-Viral Delivery Team Leader at Editas Medicine from 2021 to 2024. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers in prestigious journals and filed 26 patent applications in different countries, laying the groundwork for two startup companies and an innovative therapy tested in Phase I clinical trial.

Dr. Sun’s pioneering work introduced the concept of "metalloimmunotherapy," showcasing its potential as a novel class of immunotherapy, which led to the founding of Saros Therapeutics (Nature Nanotechnology 2021, Nature Biomedical Engineering 2024). He also conceptualized and demonstrated the therapeutic potential of "RBC-aAPC" for T cell activation and training, a novel adoptive cell therapy platform, which was adopted by Rubius Therapeutics and tested in Phase I clinical trials. Additionally, he co-developed a series of cancer neoantigen vaccines based on lipid nanodiscs for personalized cancer immunotherapy, laying the foundation of EVOQ Therapeutics. His contributions also extend to the development of multiple RNA LNP-based gene editing drug candidates in industry and a highly effective ex-vivo gene knock-in tool "SLEEK".

Dr. Sun’s research group in Mount Sinai is interested in three key research areas: 1) Utilizing nanoparticle and molecular engineering to create novel approaches for immune cell reprogramming; 2) Advancing next-generation gene editing through innovations in non-viral delivery systems; 3) Employing fundamental principles of immunology, gene editing, and pharmaceutical sciences to develop new therapeutic strategies for cancer, infectious, and autoimmune/inflammatory diseases.

Lab website: https://www.igen-lab.com/

Language
English
Position
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR | Immunology & Immunotherapy
Research Topics

Anti-Tumor Therapy, Gene editing, Immunological Tolerance, Inflammation, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Multi-Disciplinary Training Areas

Genetics and Genomic Sciences [GGS], Immunology [IMM]