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Jianhua Luo, MD, PhD

Professor of Pathology, UPMC Endowed Chair of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Division of Experimental Pathology

Dr. Luo is a member of the Divisions of Experimental Pathology, Molecular and Cellular Pathology and Anatomic Molecular Pathology. He is the Director of the High Throughput Genome Center at the Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, involving collaboration of faculties from multiple departments.

Research Interests

Currently, Dr. Luo's research interest involves identifying new genomic mechanisms underlying several human malignancies such as prostate cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, etc. His lab has identified several panels of fusion genes that may play critical roles in the development of solid tumors. Dr. Luo’s group is actively developing new genomic technologies to advance detection, diagnosis and treatment of human cancer. These include new long-read sequencing technologies, new cancer screening tools, new cancer detection methodologies, new cancer therapies and cancer vaccines.

Representative Publications

View Dr. Luo's publications on PubMed

  1. Yan-Ping Yu, Caroline Obert, Bao-Guo Ren, Marielle Krivit, Kyle Metcalfe, Jia-Jun Liu, Tuval Ben-Yehezkel, Silvia Liu, and Jian-Hua Luo (2025). Deep Spatial Sequencing Revealing Differential Immune Responses in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 13 - 2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2025.1600129.
  2. Muhamuda Kader, Yan-Ping Yu, Silvia Liu, and Jian-Hua Luo (2024). Immuno-targeting the ectopic phosphorylation sites of PDGFRA generated by MAN2A1-FER fusion in hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology Communications 8 (8):e0511, August 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000511.
  3. Silvia Liu, Yanping Yu, Bao-Guo Ren, Tuval Yehezkel, Caroline Obert, Mat Smith, Wenjia Wang, Alina Ostrowska, Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez, Jian-Hua Luo (2024). Long-read single-cell sequencing reveals expressions of hypermutation clusters of isoforms in human liver cancer cells. elife, 12, RP87607. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.87607.3.
  4. Yan-Ping Yu, Silvia Liu, Bao-Guo Ren, Joel Nelson, David Jarrard, James D. Brooks, George Michalopoulos, George Tseng, and Jian-Hua Luo (2023). Fusion gene detection in prostate cancer samples enhances the prediction of prostate cancer clinical outcomes from radical prostatectomy through machine learning in a multi- institutional analysis. American Journal of Pathology, 193 (4), 392-403.
  5. Silvia Liu, Indira Wu, Yan-Ping Yu, Michael Balamotis, Baoguo Ren, Tuval Ben Yehezkel and Jian-Hua Luo (2021). Targeted Transcriptome Analysis using Synthetic Long Read Sequencing Uncovers Isoform Reprograming in the Progression of Colon Cancer. Communications Biology 4, 1-11.
  6. Jian-Hua Luo, Silvia Liu, Junyan Tao, Bao-Guo Ren, Katherine Luo, Zhanghui Chen, Michael Nalesnik, Kathleen Cieply, Tianzhou Ma, Shi-Yuan Cheng, Qi Chen, George Michalopoulos, Joel Nelson, Rohit Bhargava, Jun Zhang, Deqin Ma, David Jarrard, Arjun Pennathur, James Luketich, Donald DeFranco, Satdarshan P. Singh Monga, George Tseng, and Yan-Ping Yu (2021). Pten-NOLC1 Fusion Promotes Cancers Involving MET and EGFR Signalings. Oncogene 40, 1064–1076.
  7. Yan-Ping Yu, Peng Liu, Joel Nelson, Ronald L. Hamilton, Rohit Bhargava, George Michalopoulos, Qi Chen, Jun Zhang, Deqin Ma, Arjun Pennathur, Michael Nalesnik, George Tseng and Jian-Hua Luo (2019). Identification of recurrent fusion genes across multiple cancer types. Scientific Reports 9:1074. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-38550-6.
  8. Zhang-Hui Chen, Yan P. Yu, Ze-Hua Zuo, Joel B. Nelson, George K. Michalopoulos, Satdatshan Monga, Silvia Liu, George Tseng and Jian-Hua Luo (2017). Targeting genomic rearrangements in tumor cells through Cas9-mediated insertion of a suicide gene. Nature Biotechnology 35, 543-550.
  9. Zhang-Hui Chen, Yan P. Yu, Junyan Tao, Silvia Liu, George Tseng, Michael Nalesnik, Ronald Hamilton, Rohit Bhargava, Joel B. Nelson, Arjun Pennathur, Satdarshan P Monga, James D. Luketich, George K. Michalopoulos and Jian-Hua Luo (2017). Expression of a MAN2A1–FER Fusion Gene by Human Liver and Other Tumor Types and Oncogenic Activity in Mice. Gastroenterology, 153:1120–1132.
  10. Yan P. Yu, Ying Ding, Zhanghui Chen, Silvia Liu, Amantha Michalopoulos, Rui Chen, Zulfiqar G. Gulzar, Bing Yang, Kathleen Cieply, Alyssa Luvison, Bao-Guo Ren, James D. Brooks, David Jarrard, Joel B. Nelson, George Michalopoulos, George C. Tseng and Jian-Hua Luo (2014). Novel fusion transcripts associate with progressive prostate cancer, American Journal of Pathology, 184, 2840-9.
  11. Yan P. Yu, Ying Ding, Rui Chen, Serena G. Liao, Bao-Guo Ren, Amantha Michalopoulos, George Michalopoulos, Joel Nelson, George C. Tseng and Jian-Hua Luo (2013). Whole genome methylation sequencing reveals distinct impact of differential methylations on gene transcription in prostate cancer. American Journal of Pathology 183, 1960-1970.
  12. Yu-Chen Han, Zhong-Liang Zheng, Ze-Hua Zuo, Yan P. Yu, Rui Chen, George C. Tseng, Joel B. Nelson and Jian-Hua Luo (2013). Metallothionein 1h Tumor Suppressor Activity in Prostate Cancer Is Mediated By Euchromatin Methyltransferase 1. Journal of Pathology, 230, 184-93.
  13. Yan Ping Yu, Douglas Landsittel, Ling Jing, Joel Nelson, Baoguo Ren, Lijun Liu, Courtney McDonald, Ryan Thomas, Rajiv Dhir, Sydney Finkelstein, George Michalopoulos, Michael Becich, and Jian-Hua Luo (2004). Gene Expression Alterations in Prostate Cancer Predicting Tumor Aggression and Preceding Development of Malignancy. Journal of Clinical Oncology 22, 2790-2799