Dr Mei Yu

Mei Yu

PhD

Lecturer

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Email: micmyu@nus.edu.sg

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is lighting a fire, not filling a vessel. I strive to ignite curiosity that transcends the classroom—empowering students to question boldly, think independently, and turn ‘what if’ into ‘what is.’

Research Theme

Cancer progression and therapy resistance are driven by complex interactions within the tumor microenvironment, where dysregulated immune responses and cytokine networks play pivotal roles. Alterations in host metabolism, microbial communities, and immune cell functions further shape disease outcomes. Our research focuses on deciphering how cytokines such as IL-37 and IL-1α orchestrate immune suppression—particularly through metabolic reprogramming of myeloid cells—and how gut microbiota influence anti-tumor immunity.

We combine CRISPR-Cas9, single-cell genomics, and Immune phenotyping to identify how these pathways enable tumors to evade therapy. By targeting cytokine signaling, metabolic checkpoints, and microbiota-immune crosstalk, we aim to develop next-generation immunotherapies, including engineered cell treatments and novel delivery platforms, that overcome resistance in solid and hematologic cancers. Working with clinicians, we translate these mechanistic insights into strategies for enhancing patient responses to existing treatments.

Recent Publications

  1. Zuhairah Binte Hanafi, Yu Mei (co-first author), Huey Yee Teo, Ying Zhu, Chew Chin Yong Lionel, Jing Wen Chiu, Jinhua Lu, Haiyan Liu. Calpain 2 regulates IL-1α secretion and inhibits tumor development via modulating calpain 1 expression in the tumor microenvironment. Oncoimmunology. 2025 Dec;14(1):2451444.
  2. Shiding Ying, Haiyan Liu, Yongliang Zhang, Yu Mei. Harnessing Dendritic Cell Function in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Advances in Immunotherapy and Therapeutic Strategies. Vaccines (Basel). 2025 May 4;13(5):496.
  3. Kang Yi Lee, Yu Mei, Haiyan Liu, Herbert Schwarz. CD137-expressing regulatory T cells in cancer and autoimmune diseases. Molecular Therapy. 2025 Jan 8;33(1):51-70.
  4. Yu Mei, Ying Zhu, Kylie Su Mei Yong, Zuhairah Binte Hanafi, Huanle Gong, Yonghao Liu, Huey Yee Teo, Muslima Hussain, Yuan Song, Qingfeng Chen, Haiyan Liu. IL-37 dampens immune suppressive functions of MDSCs via metabolic reprogramming in the tumor microenvironment. Cell Reports, Mar 26;43(3):113835 (2024).
  5. Ying Zhu, Yu Mei (co-first author), Nimmi Baby, Huey Yee Teo, Zuhairah Binte Hanafi, Siti Nazihah Mohd Salleh, Sreedharan Sajikumar, Haiyan Liu. Tumor-mediated microbiota alteration impairs synaptic tagging/capture in the hippocampal CA1 area via IL-1β production. Communications Biology. 6, 685 (2023).
  6. Dandan Lin, Yu Mei (co-first author), Lei Lei, Zuhairah Binte Hanafi, Ziqi Jin, Yonghao Liu, Yuan Song, Yinsheng Zhang, Bo Hu, Chunliang Liu, Jinhua Lu, Haiyan Liu. Immune suppressive function of IL-1α release in the tumor microenvironment regulated by calpain 1. Oncoimmunology. 2022 Jun 15;11(1):2088467.
  7. Yu Mei, Ying Zhu, Huey Yee Teo, Yonghao Liu, Yuan Song, Hwee Ying Lim, Zuhairah Binte Hanafi, Veronique Angeli, Haiyan Liu. The indirect antiangiogenic effect of IL-37 in the tumor microenvironment. Journal Leukocyte Biology. 2020 May;107(5):783-796.
  8. Yu Mei, Lixiang Zhao, Yonghao Liu, Huanle Gong, Yuan Song, Lei Lei, Ying Zhu, Ziqi Jin, Shoubao Ma, Bo Hu, Qing Sun and Haiyan Liu. Combining DNA Vaccine and AIDA-1 in Attenuated Salmonella Activates Tumor-Specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell Responses. Cancer Immunology Research. 2017 Jun;5(6):503-514.
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