Rongze "Olivia" Lu, PhD
Research Interests: Immunotherapy, tumor microenvironment, cross-talk between cancer cells and immune cells
Dr. Lu’s research centers on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of immune suppression and evasion in the brain tumor microenvironment, with the overarching goal of developing novel immunotherapeutic strategies for brain cancer. Her team was among the first to identify protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) as a critical regulator of anti-tumor immunity across multiple tumor models, including brain tumors. This discovery provided the foundation for a Phase I/II clinical trial of a PP2A inhibitor currently underway at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for patients with recurrent glioblastoma.
Dr. Lu received her doctorate in cancer immunology from the Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and completed her postdoctoral training at Genentech. She then built a successful career in industry, leading drug discovery programs in inflammatory diseases and oncology at MedImmune/AstraZeneca and AbbVie. She later transitioned back to academia as a faculty member, bringing with her extensive translational and drug development expertise to advance cancer immunology research.
In addition to her research and teaching roles, Dr. Lu serves as a standing member of the NIH Tumor Immunology and Biology (TIR) Study Section and as an associate editor for npj Precision Oncology.
PhD, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope
Postdoctoral fellowship, Genentech
2019-2022: Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, UT Austin
2019-2022: Faculty, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, UT Austin
2022-2023: Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery, UCSF
2023-present: Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery, UCSF
2020: U.S. Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program Career Development Award
2020: Keystone Early Career Investigator Award
2018: Abbvie Oncology Excellence Award
2017: Abbvie Oncology Bistro Award
2011: American Association of Immunologists Trainee Travel Award
2011: Finalist, American Association for Cancer Research Travel Award
2010: 1st Place, annual City of Hope Poster Session
2008: H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation Fellowship
2003-2007: Outstanding Student Scholarship, Tongji University
2005: 100 Best Students Award, Tongji University