Date: 17 November 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Venue: Seminar Room 304, 3/F, William M.W. Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road 
Host: Professor Stephanie Ma

Dr. Zou is the Director of the Michigan Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy and Co-Director of the Cancer Hematopoiesis and Immunology Program at the University of Michigan School of Medicine and Rogel Cancer Center. He co-directs the Surgical Oncology Fellow Training (T32) program, training clinical fellows to become physician scientists specializing in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Nationally, he served as the AACR Cancer Immunology (CIMM) Chairperson from 2019 to 2020 and was the Cancer Immunology Abstract Programming Chair for AAI for four years. Dr. Zou has delivered over 400 invited lectures at various institutions and conferences and has published more than 200 articles and book chapters. His laboratory is among the most cited in the field of immunology, with their work frequently highlighted by scientific news agencies. 

Dr. Zou and his collaborators have led pioneering research on identifying immunosuppressive mechanisms in the human tumor microenvironment (TME) and their relevance to cancer therapy. They demonstrated the expression and function of PD-L1 (B7-H1), the tumor trafficking mechanisms and significance of T cell subsets (such as regulatory T cells, Th17 cells, and Th22 cells), as well as the immune characterstics of tumor epigenetic regulation, tumor metabolism, and tumor ferroptosis.

Interferon gamma (IFNg) signaling pathway drives spontaneous and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)-induced antitumor immunity. Counterintuitively, chronic IFNg signaling stimulation can reprogram tumor metabolism, thereby activating oncogenic pathway, enhancing tumor stemness, and supporting ICB-associated rapid cancer progression.  In this talk, I summarize our recent studies on the interplay between ICB-activated T cells and tumor cells, illuminate the dual role of IFNg signaling in shaping tumor cell death and resistance to ICB, and discuss the underlying oncogenic, immunogenic, and metabolic mechanisms. These insights may be useful for exploring novel clinical trials to treat patients with cancer.

All are welcome.