yihe_chen@meei.harvard.edu
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About My Research
Center/Research Area Affiliations
Biography
At Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear, Dr. Chen's research is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive ocular autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. In particular, he aims to define the pathogenic role of memory T cells in a range of ocular autoimmune diseases, and develop novel immunomodulatory treatments that target these key pathogenic cells.
Education
2001: Certificate, Pre-medical Courses, Peking University, China
2006: MD, Peking Union Medical College, China
Postgraduate Training
2014: Research Fellowship, Ocular Immunology, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear
Honors
2015: ARVO Annual Meeting Travel Grant, National Eye Institute
2010, 2012, 2013: ARVO Annual Meeting Travel Award, Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society
- Long-lived autoreactive memory CD4+ T cells mediate the sustained retinopathy in chronic autoimmune uveitis. FASEB J. 2023 04; 37(4):e22855.
- Immune regulation of the ocular surface. Exp Eye Res. 2022 05; 218:109007.
- Autoimmunity in dry eye disease - An updated review of evidence on effector and memory Th17 cells in disease pathogenicity. Autoimmun Rev. 2021 Nov; 20(11):102933.
- Characterization of Clinical and Immune Responses in an Experimental Chronic Autoimmune Uveitis Model. Am J Pathol. 2021 03; 191(3):425-437.
- The functions of IL-23 and IL-2 on driving autoimmune effector T-helper 17 cells into the memory pool in dry eye disease. Mucosal Immunol. 2021 01; 14(1):177-186.
- Local Delivery of Regulatory T Cells Promotes Corneal Allograft Survival. Transplantation. 2019 01; 103(1):182-190.
- IFN-?-Expressing Th17 Cells Are Required for Development of Severe Ocular Surface Autoimmunity. J Immunol. 2017 08 01; 199(3):1163-1169.
- Review: The function of regulatory T cells at the ocular surface. Ocul Surf. 2017 10; 15(4):652-659.
- Interleukin-7 and -15 maintain pathogenic memory Th17 cells in autoimmunity. J Autoimmun. 2017 02; 77:96-103.
- In Vivo Expansion of Regulatory T Cells by Low-Dose Interleukin-2 Treatment Increases Allograft Survival in Corneal Transplantation. Transplantation. 2016 Mar; 100(3):525-32.
- Extraorbital lacrimal gland excision: a reproducible model of severe aqueous tear-deficient dry eye disease. Cornea. 2014 Dec; 33(12):1336-41.
- The resolvin D1 analogue controls maturation of dendritic cells and suppresses alloimmunity in corneal transplantation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014 Aug 21; 55(9):5944-51.
- CCR7 is critical for the induction and maintenance of Th17 immunity in dry eye disease. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014 Aug 19; 55(9):5871-7.
- Soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 suppresses allosensitization and promotes corneal allograft survival. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2014 Nov; 252(11):1755-62.
- The CCR6/CCL20 axis mediates Th17 cell migration to the ocular surface in dry eye disease. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013 Jun 12; 54(6):4081-91.
- Chronic dry eye disease is principally mediated by effector memory Th17 cells. Mucosal Immunol. 2014 Jan; 7(1):38-45.
- Effect of desiccating environmental stress versus systemic muscarinic AChR blockade on dry eye immunopathogenesis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013 Apr 03; 54(4):2457-64.
- PDE4 inhibition suppresses IL-17-associated immunity in dry eye disease. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012 Jun 14; 53(7):3584-91.
- Ocular surface immunity: homeostatic mechanisms and their disruption in dry eye disease. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2012 May; 31(3):271-85.
- Interferon-?-secreting NK cells promote induction of dry eye disease. J Leukoc Biol. 2011 Jun; 89(6):965-72.
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Role of Immunological Memory in Ocular Autoimmune Diseases
The goal of the research project is to explore the autoimmune mechanisms in chronic uveitis and develop novel therapeutic strategy targeting memory T cells for the disease, by developing a mouse model for chronic autoimmune uveitis.
