Research Summary

I am a physician-scientist whose research program focuses on mouse cancer modeling, molecular therapeutics, functional genomics, and biomarker discovery in hematologic cancers. My recent data indicate that targeting downstream Ras effector pathways and bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins is highly synergistic in vivo and represents a novel approach for the treatment of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Additional contributions to science include collaborations that have involved RAS/NF1-driven cancers and the implementation of computational pipelines for analyzing integrated (epi)genomic preclinical and clinical data. These collaborations include recent projects that incorporate primary samples from patients enrolled on North American Children's Oncology Group clinical trials, as well as early phase clinical trials. My overall goal is to develop new therapeutic strategies in AML to inform biology-driven, genetically stratified trials of innovative drug combinations.

Education

University of California, Berkeley, BS, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
University of California, San Francisco, MD, Medicine
University of California, San Francisco, Residency, Pediatrics
University of California, San Francisco, Fellowship, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Honors & Awards

  • 2006
    UC Berkeley Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award
  • 2009
    Alpha Omega Alpha, Medical Honor Society
  • 2010
    UCSF School of Medicine Essential Core Teaching Award
  • 2011
    UCSF Pediatric Residency Ahmad Ghanea Bassiri Award Finalist
  • 2013
    UCSF Pediatric Residency Rudolph Award Finalist
  • 2014
    UCSF School of Medicine Core Clerkship Teaching Award
  • 2016
    St. Baldrick’s Foundation Fellowship Award
  • 2017
    Bleecher Junior Faculty Research Award
  • 2019
    Hyundai Hope on Wheels Scholar Award
  • 2020
    St. Baldrick's Foundation Scholar Award
  • 2020
    Rally Foundation Career Development Award

Selected Publications

  • Mandal K, Wicaksono G, Yu C, Adams JJ, Hoopman MR, Temple WC, Patino Escobar B, Gorelik M, Ihling CH, Nix MA, Naik A, Ramos E, Kasap C, Steri V, Camara Serrano J, Salangsang F, Phojanakong P, McMillan M, Gavallos V, Leavitt AD, Sinz A, Huang B, Stieglitz E, Smith CC, Moritz RL, Sidhu SS, Huang L, Wiita AP. Structural surfaceomics reveals an AML-specific conformation of Integrin-β2 as an immunotherapeutic target. Nat Cancer. 2023 Oct 30. doi: 10.1038/s43018-023-00652-6.

  • Chen P-Y*, Huang B*, Harris M, Boone C, Wang W, Carias H, Mesiona B, Mavrici D, Kohler A, Bollag G, Zhang C, Zhang Y, Shannon K. Structural and functional analyses of a germline KRAS T50I mutation provide insights into Raf activation. JCI Insight. 2023 Sep 8;8(17):e168445. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.168445. [*contributed equally]

  • Levinson AL, Tjoa K, Huang B, Meyer LK, Kim M-O, Brady SW, Zhang J, Shannon K, Wandler AM. Opposing Effects of KDM6A and JDP2 on Glucocorticoid Sensitivity in T-ALL. Blood Adv. 2023 Jul 25;7(14):3479-3484. doi.org: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021006881.

  • Farrar JE, Smith JL, Othus M, Huang B, Wang Y-C, Ries RE, Hylkema T, Pogosova-Agadjanyan EL, Challa S, Leonti AR, Shaw TI, Triche TJ, Gamis AS, Aplenc R, Kolb EA, Ma X, Stirewalt DL, Alonzo TA, Meshinchi S. Long Non-Coding RNA Expression Independently Predicts Outcome in Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia. J Clin Oncol. 2023 Jun 1;41(16):2949-2962. doi: 10.1200/JCO.22.01114.

  • Huang B and Shannon K. NFIA-ETO2, TP53 and erythroid leukemogenesis. Blood. 2023 May 4;141(18):2168-2170. doi: 10.1182/blood.2023019856.

  • Liu Y, Klein J, Bajpai R, Dong L, Tran Q, Kolekar P, Smith JL, Ries RE, Huang B, Wang J, Alonzo T, Tian L, Mulder HL, Szlachta K, Shaw TI, Ma J, Walsh M, Song G, Westover T, Autre R, Gout A, Wheeler D, Wan S, Wu G, Yang JJ, Evans W, Loh M, Easton J, Klco JM, Meshinchi S, Brown PA, Pruett-Miller SM, Ma X. Etiology of oncogenic fusions in 5,190 childhood cancers and its clinical and therapeutic implication. Nat Comm. 2023 Apr 5;14(1):1739. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37438-4.

  • Le Q, Hadland B, Smith JL, Leonti A, Huang B, Ries R, Hylkema TA, Castro S, Tang TT, McKay CN, Perkins L, Pardo L, Sarthy J, Beckman AK, Williams R, Idemmili R, Furlan S, Ishida T, Call L, Srivastava S, Loeb AM, Milano F, Imren S, Morris SM, Pakiam F, Olson JM, Loken MR, Eidenschink Brodersen L, Riddell SR, Tarlock K, Bernstein ID, Loeb KR, Meshinchi S. CBFA2T3-GLIS2 model of pediatric acute megakaryoblastic leukemia identifies FOLR1 as a CAR T cell target. J Clin Invest. 2022 Sep 22:e157101. doi: 10.1172/JCI157101.

  • Huang B, Smith JL, Farrar JE, Wang YC, Umeda M, Ries RE, Leonti AR, Crowgey E, Furlan SN, Tarlock K, Armendariz M, Liu Y, Shaw TI, Wei L, Gerbing R, Cooper TM, Gamis AS, Aplenc R, Kolb EA, Rubnitz J, Ma J, Klco JM, Ma X, Alonzo TA, Triche T, Meshinchi S. Integrated stem cell signature and cytomolecular risk determination in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. Nat Commun. 2022 Sep 19;13(1):5487. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33244-6.

  • Umeda M, Ma J, Huang B, Hagiwara K, Westover T, Abdelhamed S, Barajas JM, Thomas ME, Walsh MP, Song G, Miller J, Hiltenbrand R, Liu Y, Chen X, Foy X, Iacobucci I, Kleist AB, Ries RE, Wu H, Rusch M, Alonzo TA, Maciaszek JL, Inaba H, Wu G, Valentine V, Valentine M, Liu YC, Mullighan CG, Pounds S, Babu MM, Zhang J, Rubnitz JE, Meshinchi S, Ma X, Klco JM. Integrated genomic analysis identifies UBTF tandem duplications as a recurrent lesion in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Cancer Discov. 2022 Feb 16. doi: 10.1158/2643-3230.BCD-21-0160.

  • Huang B, Smith JL, Shaw TI, Furlan SN, Ries RE, Leonti AR, Crowgey EL, Wei L, Farrar JE, Trich T, Ma X, Le Q, Meshinchi S. Integrated transcriptomics and proteomics identifies therapeutic targets in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia. Blood. 2021 Nov 5;138(S1):1296. doi: 10.1182/blood-2021-153970.

  • Huang B, Smith JL, Wang YC, Taghizadeh K, Leonti AR, Ries RE, Liu Y, Kolekar P, Tarlock K, Gerbing R, Crowgey EL, Furlan SN, Shaw TI, Hagiwara K, Wei L, Cooper TM, Gamis AS, Aplenc R, Kolb EA, Farrar JE, Triche T, Alonzo TA, Ma X, Meshinchi S. CBFB-MYH11 fusion transcripts distinguish acute myeloid leukemias with distinct molecular landscapes and outcomes. Blood Adv. 2021 Dec 14;5(23):4963-4968. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004965.

  • Remsberg J, Suciu R, Zambetti N, Hanigan T, Firestone A, Inguva A, Long A, Ngo N, Lum K, Henry C, Richardson S, Predovic M, Huang B, Howell A, Niphakis M, Shannon K, Cravatt B. ABHD17 enzymes regulate dynamic plasma membrane palmitoylation and N-Ras-dependent cancer growth. Nat Chem Biol. 2021 Apr 29. doi: 10.1038/s41589-021-00785-8.

  • Peretz C, McGary L, Kumar T, Jackson H, Jacob J, Durruthy-Durruthy R, Levis M, Perl A, Huang B, Smith C. Single cell DNA sequencing reveals complex mechanisms of resistance to quizartinib. Blood Adv. 2021 Mar 9;5(5):1437-1441. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003398.

  • Huang B, Wang X, Harris M, Wandler A, Hwang E, Burgess MR, Li Q, Severson P, Powell B, Kolb EA, Meshinchi S, Taylor BS, Bollag G, Shannon K. Co-Targeting BET bromodomain proteins and aberrant signaling in AML. Blood. 2020 Nov 5;136(S1):5-6. doi: 10.1182/blood-2020-142921.

  • Zambetti NA, Firestone AJ, Remsberg JR, Huang B, Wong JC, Long AM, Predovic M, Suciu RM, Inguva A, Kogan SC, Haigis KM, Cravatt BF, Shannon K. Genetic disruption of palmitoylation abrogates hematopoietic transformation by NrasG12D in vivo. Blood. 2020 May 14;135(20):1772-1782. doi: 10.1182/blood.2019003530.

  • Wandler AM, Huang B, Craig J, Hayes K, Yan H, Meyer LK, Scacchetti A, Monsalve G, Dail M, Li Q, Wong JC, Weinberg O, Hasserjian RP, Kogan SC, Yamamoto K, Sampath D, Nakitandwe J, Downing JR, Zhang J, Aster JC, Taylor BS, and Shannon K. Loss of glucocorticoid receptor expression mediates in vivo dexamethasone resistance in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leukemia. 2020 Aug;34(8):2025-2037. doi: 10.1038/s41375-020-0748-6.

  • Meyer LK, Huang B, Delgado-Martin C, Roy R, Hechmer A, Wandler AM, Vincent TL, Olshen A, Wood BL, Horton TM, Shannon KM, Teachey DT, Hermiston ML. Glucocorticoids paradoxically facilitate steroid resistance in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias. J Clin Invest. 2020 Feb 3;130(2):863-876. doi: 10.1172/JCI130189.

  • Huang B, Wandler A, Meyer L, Dail M, Daemen A, Sampath D, Li Q, Wang X, Wong JC, Nakitandwe J, Downing JR, Zhang J, Taylor B, Shannon K. Convergent Genetic Aberrations in Murine and Human T Lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemias. PLoS Genet. 2019 Jun 14;15(6):e1008168. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008168.

  • Burgess MR, Hwang E, Mroue R, Bielski CM, Wandler AM, Huang B, Firestone AJ, Young A, LaCap J, Crocker L, Asthana S, Davis EM, Xu J, Akagi K, Le Beau MM, Li Q, Stokoe D, Sampath D, Taylor BS, Evangelista M, Shannon K. KRAS allelic imbalance enhances fitness and modulates MAP kinase dependence in cancer. Cell. 2017 Feb 23;168(5):817-829.e15. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.01.020.

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