Shuai Gao, Ph.D., has long-standing interests in understanding the dysregulated gene transcription involved in prostate cancer (PCa) development. During his Ph.D. studies, Dr. Gao was focused on understanding the function of soluble guanylyl cyclase subunit a1 (sGCa1), an androgen receptor (AR) regulated gene. In 2013, as a post-doctoral fellow, he joined in the lab of Dr. Steven Balk at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, where he studied the transcriptional repressor function of AR mediated by Rb in drug resistant PCa. From 2015, Dr. Gao received additional training from Dr. Changmeng Cai in Center for Personalized Cancer Therapies at University of Massachusetts Boston. He then worked as a research assistant professor since 2018. Dr. Gao continued to investigate the aberrant epigenetic regulations centered on LSD1 and FOXA1 that contribute to PCa disease progression. Dr. Gao's post-doctoral work has characterized multiple chromatin-associated events that drive PCa development and provided novel therapeutic insights for overcoming the drug resistance.

Education

• Ph.D., Molecular Biology, University of Toledo

Honors and Awards

• 2019-2023: Department of Defense Idea Development Award-New Investigator (Direct cost: $600,000)
• 2021: AACR annual meeting Prostate Cancer Foundation Scholar-in-Training award
• 2017: AACR Special Conference Scholar-in-Training award
• 2015-2017: Department of Defense Postdoctoral Training Award (Direct cost: $124,198)

Research

The Gao lab is interested in interrogating the interplay between transcription factors (e.g., AR, FOXA) and epigenetic modulators (e.g., histone demethylases) in driving drug resistance in PCa. By integrating cutting edge omics-based approaches and various clinically relevant models, Dr. Gao's research aims to understand the high-resolution chromatin-associated molecular mechanisms underlying the therapy resistance, identify novel molecular targets and develop therapeutic strategies for PCa patients who are at the lethal stage.

Publications

• Wang Z, Townley SL, Zhang S, et. al. "FOXA2 rewires AP-1 for transcriptional reprogramming and lineage plasticity in prostate cancer." Nature communications, 15(1), (2024) 4914. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49234-9
• Han D, Labaf M, Zhao Y, et. al. "Androgen receptor splice variants drive castration-resistant prostate cancer metastasis by activating distinct transcriptional programs." The Journal of clinical investigation, 134(11), (2024) . doi: 10.1172/JCI168649
• Besschetnova A, Han W, Liu M, et. al. "Demethylation of EHMT1/GLP Protein Reprograms Its Transcriptional Activity and Promotes Prostate Cancer Progression." Cancer research communications, 3(8), (2023) 1716-1730. doi: 10.1158/2767-9764.CRC-23-0208
• Wang Z, Petricca J, Liu M, et. al. "SETD7 functions as a transcription repressor in prostate cancer via methylating FOXA1." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120(33), (2023) e2220472120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2220472120
• Yang Y, Di Ruscio A, Inoue S, et. al. "Editorial: Interplay between epigenetic modifiers and transcription factors in driving cancer progression." Frontiers in oncology, 13(), (2023) 1211537. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1211537
• Li M, Liu M, Han W, et. al. "LSD1 Inhibition Disrupts Super-Enhancer-Driven Oncogenic Transcriptional Programs in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer." Cancer research, 83(10), (2023) 1684-1698. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-22-2433
• Labaf M, Li M, Ting L, et. al. "Increased AR expression in castration-resistant prostate cancer rapidly induces AR signaling reprogramming with the collaboration of EZH2." Frontiers in oncology, 12(), (2022) 1021845. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1021845

View All Publications

Professional Service

Grant reviewer:

• 2022 - Department of Defense, FY22 Prostate Cancer Research Program    
• 2020 - Department of Defense, FY20 Prostate Cancer Research Program
• 2019 - Florida Department of Health Biomedical Research Programs
• 2019 - Austrian Science Fund: Joint Project
• Editor: Frontiers Oncology (Invited Editor Special Issue: Interplay Between Epigenetic Modifiers and Transcription Factors in Driving Cancer Progression)
• Ad hoc reviewer: Cancer letters, Cancers, Cells, Scientific Reports, Oncotarget, Therapeutics and Clinical Risk, Management Cancer Management and Research, OncoTargets and Therapy, ‘Research and Reports in Urology’

Memberships and Affiliations

• 2022-2023: Member of SOM Biosafety Committee