Haichao Wang, PhD

Haichao Wang, MD, is a professor of molecular medicine at the Elmezzi Graduate School and the director of the laboratory of emergency medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. He earned a BS in biology from Hebei University in 1984 before completing his MS in microbiology at Zhejiang University in 1987. In 1992, Dr. Wang received his PhD in microbiology from Louisiana State University and subsequently finished a three-year postdoctoral fellowship in cell biology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. In 1995, Dr. Wang joined the Department of Emergency Medicine at North Shore University Hospital as the chief of the Basic Science Research Program. 

Since 2002, Dr. Wang has obtained eight R01 grants from the National Institute of General Medical Science (R01GM063075 and R01GM070817) and the National Center of Complementary and Integrative Health (R01AT005076). He has procured more than ten patents regarding the use of anti-inflammatory proteins (e.g., fetuin-A), antibodies against several inflammatory mediators (e.g., HMGB1, SAA or tetranectin), and anti-inflammatory herbal components (e.g., tanshinone IIA) as potential therapies for sepsis and other inflammatory diseases. Since 1995, Dr. Wang has published more than 190 research and review articles, which have been collectively cited more than 44,000 times by Google Scholar (h-index = 84). 

Dr. Wang currently serves as a referee for 50 journals and an editorial board member for four scientific journals (including Shock, Frontiers in Immunology, SOJ Immunology and Military Medical Research). Since 2009, he serves as a reviewer and member of multiple NIH Special Emphasis Panels and Study Sections. Dr. Wang also serves as a co-moderator and invited speaker at several international shock and sepsis conferences. 

Dr. Wang has not only focused on research; he has made significant contributions to academia and the advancement of knowledge to the future of biomedical research, as well. He continuously mentors postdoctoral fellows and high school students for various national and international science competitions. 

The long-term goals of Dr. Wang’s research are to improve our understanding of the intricate mechanisms underlying the regulation of innate immunity, and search for proteins that altered their subcellular localization and/or expression levels in clinical and experimental sepsis. Specifically, Dr. Wang has been systematically assessing the roles of various endogenous immune regulators in sepsis using genetic and pharmacological approaches, and developing novel therapeutic strategies for the clinical management of human inflammatory diseases.

Identification of HMGB1 as a late mediator of lethal systemic inflammation 

Because early cytokines are difficult to target in clinical settings, Dr. Wang’s laboratory searched and found a nuclear protein HMG-1 (also known as HMGB1) that could be released extracellularly to function as a late mediator of lethal endotoxemia. Subsequently, they collaborated with many eminent scientists and demonstrated that HMGB1 binds and facilitates the cellular uptake of bacterial CpG-DNA and endotoxins, thereby promoting their innate recognition by their cytoplasmic TLR9 or caspase-11 receptors. Even by itself, HMGB1 can signal through TLR4 and MD2 to activate innate immune cells and endothelial cells to orchestrate a dysregulated inflammation and coagulopathy. 

His laboratory collaborated with others to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the regulation of HMGB1 release and extracellular function. They were able to demonstrate that exogenous bacterial endotoxins and CpG-DNA, as well as endogenous cytokines such as IFN-γ, SAA or IFN-α/β uniformly induce HMGB1 release. They also discovered that macrophage cell surface hemichannels such as connexin 43 and pannexin 1, and cytoplasmic enzymes such as PKR and PKM2, are all involved in the regulation of HMGB1 release. Recently, Dr. Wang’s lab discovered that extracellular HMGB1 also acts with a partner-in-crime—a circulation protein called tetranectin (TN)—to cause immunosuppression by killing macrophages, and went on to develop a panel of TN-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) capable of preventing harmful HMGB1/TN interaction and rescuing mice from potentially lethal sepsis. Their findings have suggested an exciting possibility to develop therapeutic antibodies against harmless proteins colluding with sepsis mediators. 

Identification of other endogenous regulators of innate immunity 

Dr. Wang’s interest in the innate immunity has nourished a close collaboration with eminent scientists (such as Dr. D. Tang), and contributed to the seminal discovery of a series of modulators of the innate immunity that include the PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) and parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (PARK2), the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), stimulator of interferon genes protein (STING, also known as transmembrane protein 173, TMEM173), circadian clock gene (Bmal1), as well as cAMP immunometabolism. 

Search for potential therapeutic agents for inflammatory diseases 

By strategic screening of many popular anti-inflammatory medicinal herbs, the lab demonstrated that the extract of Angelica sinensis—as well as herbal ingredients such as nicotine, stearoyl lysophosphatidylcholine, EGCG, tanshinone IIA, and glycyrrhizin/carbenoxolone—could all inhibit HMGB1 release and improve animal survival in models of lethal infections and injury. With financial support from the NIH/NCCIH (R01AT005076), they are developing more efficient high-throughput assays to screen natural product chemical libraries for specific inhibitors of various novel inflammatory mediators to gain an improved understanding of the intricate mechanisms of novel herbal therapies for sepsis.

Xiqian Lan, PhD
Assistant Investigator 
Research: Role of endogenous mediators in sterile and infectious inflammation.
Phone: (516) 562-1112 
Email: [email protected] 

Lynn X. Qiang, MD, PhD
Research Scientist 
Research: Role of endogenous mediators in sterile and infectious inflammation.
Phone: (516) 562-2016 
Email: [email protected]

Weiqiang Chen, MD, PhD
Research Scientist 
Research: Animal models of sepsis to understand the roles of various endogenous mediators and therapeutic efficacy of various anti-inflammatory agents.
Phone: (516) 562-1109 
Email: [email protected]

Shu Zhu, MD, PhD
Research Scientist 
Research: Innate immune modulatory properties of endogenous mediators and exogenous herbal medicine.
Phone: (516) 562-2144 
Email: [email protected] 

Hebei University, China 
Degree: BS 
Field of study: Biology 
1984 

Zhejiang University, China 
Degree: MS 
Field of study: Microbiology 
1987 

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 
Degree: PhD 
Field of study: Microbiology 
1992 

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 
Degree: Postdoctoral 
Field of study: Cell biology 
1995 

• 2021 Scientific Achievement Award, Shock Society
• 2020 Excellence in Research Award, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
• 2019-2023 Member, Executive Council (Basic Science Councilor), Shock Society 
• 2016-2022 Member, NIH/NIGMS; Surgery, Anesthesiology and Trauma (SAT) Study Section 
• 2013-2016 Ad-hoc Reviewer, NIH/NIGMS; Surgery, Anesthesiology and Trauma (SAT) Study Section 
• 2016 Member, NIH/NIGMS ZRG1 SBIB-P (50) Special Emphasis Panel, RFA-TW-16-001 Fogarty Global Injury and Trauma Research Program (D43) 
• 2015 Member, NIH/NIGMS ZRG1 F15-P(20) Fellowship Special Review Panel, Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering 
• 2014-2015 Member, NIH/NIGMS ZRG1SBIB V02 Special Emphasis Panel, “Member Conflict: Surgical Sciences and Bioengineering” 
• 2014-2015 Ad-hoc Reviewer, Surgery (SURG) review panel, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 
• 2013 Member, NIH/NIDDK ZDK1 GRB-D(J1) Special Review Panel, “Small R03 Grants for New Investigators to Promote Diversity” 
• 2010 Faculty Research Award, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research 
• 2009 Faculty Research Award, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research 
• 2006 Faculty Research Award, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research 
• 2004 Faculty Research Award, Northwell Health Research Institute 
• 2003 Faculty Research Award, Northwell Health Research Institute