# Lieping Chen
**Lieping Chen** (陈列平)[1](https://fdias.fudan.edu.cn/af/0e/c18401a175886/page.htm) is an immunologist working at Yale University whose laboratory in 1999 discovered the B7-H1 (PD-L1) molecule and demonstrated that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is a mechanism tumors use to evade immune attack.[2](https://medicine.yale.edu/immuno/profile/lieping-chen/) He holds the United Technologies Corporation Chair Professorship in Cancer Research and professorships in Immunobiology, Dermatology, and Medicine (Medical Oncology), and co-leads the Cancer Immunology Program at Yale Cancer Center.[2](https://medicine.yale.edu/immuno/profile/lieping-chen/) • [3](https://www.immunology.ox.ac.uk/about/team/lieping-chen) The anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies developed from this pathway are global standards of care for a broad spectrum of advanced cancers, and *Science* named the pathway the #1 Breakthrough of the Year in 2013.[2](https://medicine.yale.edu/immuno/profile/lieping-chen/)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Field | Tumor immunology; immune costimulation and checkpoint pathways |
| Signature work | Discovery of B7-H1 (PD-L1) in 1999; the 2018 "normalization" paradigm in *Cell* |
| Positions | Bristol-Myers Squibb 1990–97; Mayo Clinic 1997–2004; Johns Hopkins 2004–11; Yale since 2011 |
| Training | MD, Fujian Medical University (1977–82); PhD in Pathology, Drexel University (1986–89); postdoc, University of Washington (1989–90) |
| Honors | William B. Coley Award (2014); AAI Steinman Award (2016); Warren Alpert Foundation Prize (2017); National Academy of Sciences (2021) |
| Industry | Scientific founder of NextCure, Inc. |
## Education and early career
Chen earned his M.D. at [Fujian Medical University](https://www.edgepedia.org/fujian-medical-university) in Fuzhou, China, from 1977 to 1982, and completed an internship and residency in medicine at Fujian Union Hospital from 1981 to 1983.[4](https://academicians.sinica.edu.tw/index.php?_lang=en&id=745&r=academician-n%2Fshow) He was a fellow at the Cancer Hospital of Peking Union Medical College from 1983 to 1986, then moved to the United States for a Ph.D. in [Pathology](https://www.edgepedia.org/pathology) at [Drexel University](https://www.edgepedia.org/drexel-university) in Philadelphia (1986–89).[4](https://academicians.sinica.edu.tw/index.php?_lang=en&id=745&r=academician-n%2Fshow) His postdoctoral training at the University of Washington and at Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute in Seattle was with Karl Erik Hellström and Ingegerd Hellström.[4](https://academicians.sinica.edu.tw/index.php?_lang=en&id=745&r=academician-n%2Fshow) • [5](https://fjmufriends.com/outstanding-alumni-index/outstanding-alumni-issue-one)
## Career record
Chen spent 1990 to 1997 at Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute in Seattle, as [Scientist](https://www.edgepedia.org/scientist) (1990–93), Senior Scientist (1993–96), and Principal Scientist (1996–97).[4](https://academicians.sinica.edu.tw/index.php?_lang=en&id=745&r=academician-n%2Fshow) He then moved to the [Mayo Clinic](https://www.edgepedia.org/mayo-clinic), as Associate Professor of Immunology (1997–99) and Professor of Immunology (1999–2004).[4](https://academicians.sinica.edu.tw/index.php?_lang=en&id=745&r=academician-n%2Fshow) From 2004 to 2011 he was Professor of Oncology and of [Dermatology](https://www.edgepedia.org/dermatology) at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, holding the Jenny Chair in Cancer Research from 2010 to 2011.[4](https://academicians.sinica.edu.tw/index.php?_lang=en&id=745&r=academician-n%2Fshow) He joined Yale University in 2011 as United Technologies Corporation Chair Professor in Cancer Research, and since 2021 has also been a Visiting Professor at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford.[4](https://academicians.sinica.edu.tw/index.php?_lang=en&id=745&r=academician-n%2Fshow) • [3](https://www.immunology.ox.ac.uk/about/team/lieping-chen)
## Representative work
His 1992 *Cell* paper, ["Costimulation of antitumor immunity by the B7 counterreceptor for the T lymphocyte molecules CD28 and CTLA-4"](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0092-8674(05)80059-5), published December 1, 1992 (Cell 71:1093–1102), gave the first proof of concept that introducing the B7-1 costimulatory molecule into tumor cells could enhance antitumor immunity.[6](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0092-8674(05)80059-5) • [2](https://medicine.yale.edu/immuno/profile/lieping-chen/) In 1999 his laboratory reported the discovery of PD-L1, originally termed B7-H1, and went on to show that tumors express it and that its activity causes [T cell](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-cell) dysfunction; in 2002 the laboratory showed that blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction with monoclonal antibodies improved tumor elimination, work whose priority was later examined alongside contributions from multiple laboratories in patent proceedings.[3](https://www.immunology.ox.ac.uk/about/team/lieping-chen) • [13](https://www.finnegan.com/a/web/310007/115cv13443_Dana-FarberCancerInstitute_v_OnoPharmaceuticals.pdf) His 2018 *Cell* review ["A Paradigm Shift in Cancer Immunotherapy: From Enhancement to Normalization"](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.09.035) (Cell 175:313–326) set out the normalization framework described below.[3](https://www.immunology.ox.ac.uk/about/team/lieping-chen) His 2016 *Science Translational Medicine* review ["PD-L1 (B7-H1) and PD-1 pathway blockade for cancer therapy: Mechanisms, response biomarkers, and combinations"](https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aad7118) appeared in 2016. A federal court's findings of fact in *Dana-Farber Cancer Institute v.[13](https://www.finnegan.com/a/web/310007/115cv13443_Dana-FarberCancerInstitute_v_OnoPharmaceuticals.pdf) Ono Pharmaceutical* treated the discovery and characterization of the PD-L1 and PD-L2 ligands and the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction as involving contributions from multiple laboratories, in the context of patent inventorship over the Honjo patents.[13](https://www.finnegan.com/a/web/310007/115cv13443_Dana-FarberCancerInstitute_v_OnoPharmaceuticals.pdf)
## Normalization versus enhancement in cancer immunotherapy
The 2018 review argues that anti-PD therapy works not by amplifying immune activation but by immune normalization: restoring tumor-induced immune deficiency selectively in the tumor microenvironment.[7](https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(18)31247-9.pdf) The contrast it draws is with immune-enhancement strategies, which often produce rare objective responses and frequent immune-related adverse events, whereas anti-PD therapies achieved higher response rates with far fewer such adverse events and had received FDA approval in more than 10 cancer indications by 2018.[7](https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(18)31247-9.pdf) Chen's own clinical contribution to this translation includes co-initiating the first-in-human trial of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in 2006 and pioneering PD-L1 tumor-tissue staining as a predictive biomarker that informed FDA approval of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies.[2](https://medicine.yale.edu/immuno/profile/lieping-chen/)
## Siglec-15 and new targets
Using a genome-scale T-cell activity array, his laboratory identified Siglec-15 as a critical immune suppressor: normally expressed on only some myeloid cells, it is broadly upregulated on human cancer cells and tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells, and its expression is mutually exclusive with B7-H1.[8](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30833750/) This matters clinically because roughly 26% of non-small-cell lung cancer cases that are PD-L1-negative but TIL-positive resist anti-PD therapy, a resistance attributed in part to Siglec-15.[9](https://medicine.yale.edu/cancer/research/excellence/lung/projects/proj1/) More broadly, the laboratory has identified over 20 novel immune modulators, including 4-1BB, ICOS/B7-H2, B7-H3, B7-H4, B7-H5/CD28H, PD-1H, LIGHT/HVEM, FGL1/LAG-3, Siglec-15, CD93/IGFBP7, and CD8α/PILRα.[2](https://medicine.yale.edu/immuno/profile/lieping-chen/)
## Honors and industry roles
Chen was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2021, one of 120 new members that year, and as a Fellow of the Academy of Immuno-Oncology of the [Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer](https://www.edgepedia.org/society-for-immunotherapy-of-cancer), also in 2021.[10](https://www.aacr.org/professionals/membership/aacr-academy/fellows/lieping-chen/) • [11](https://www.onclive.com/view/yale-cancer-center-s-dr-lieping-chen-elected-to-prestigious-national-academy-of-sciences) Among earlier distinctions are the William B. Coley Award, given in 2014; the AAI Steinman Award, received in 2016; and the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, awarded in 2017. He also belongs to the AACR Academy as a Fellow, chosen in recognition of fundamental research he conducted that produced the cloning of B7-H1 (PD-L1), showed that the B7-H1/PD-1 pathway suppresses immunity, and established antibody blockade of that pathway for use as cancer immunotherapy.[10](https://www.aacr.org/professionals/membership/aacr-academy/fellows/lieping-chen/) He is the scientific founder of [NextCure, Inc.](https://www.edgepedia.org/nextcure-inc)[12](https://www.nextcure.com/founder/) He was also a co-founder of Amplimmune, acquired by [AstraZeneca](https://www.edgepedia.org/astrazeneca) in 2013, and of Boston-based Normunity, which emerged from stealth with $65 million in initial financing led by Canaan Ventures.[14](https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/normunity-cancer-immunotherapy-startup-lieping-chen/634717/)
## NextCure, Inc.
On January 6, 2016, NextCure announced a $67 million Series A financing from Canaan Partners, Lilly Asia Ventures, OrbiMed Advisors, Pfizer, and Sofinnova Ventures, joined by Alexandria Venture Investments.[15](https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/nextcure-inc-new-immuno-oncology-firm-announces-67-million) The company completed a $93 million Series B in November 2018, led by Hillhouse Capital Management and Quan Capital, with Bay City Capital, Surveyor Capital, Ping An Ventures, Taiho Ventures, ArrowMark Partners, and NS Investment joining existing investors.[16](https://ir.nextcure.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nextcure-raises-93-million-series-b-financing-proceeds-will) • [17](https://endpoints.news/armed-with-180m-in-cash-i-o-trailblazer-lieping-chen-spotlights-nextcures-preclinical-work-on-next-gen-antibody/) Eli Lilly paid $40 million upfront for an oncology R&D collaboration potentially worth up to $1.4 billion; that pact fell apart in early 2020.[17](https://endpoints.news/armed-with-180m-in-cash-i-o-trailblazer-lieping-chen-spotlights-nextcures-preclinical-work-on-next-gen-antibody/) • [18](https://endpoints.news/three-years-after-underwhelming-data-lieping-chens-nextcure-drops-lead-program/) • [19](https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2019/04/29/md-biotech-files-to-go-public-in-up-to-92m.html) The company closed its IPO on May 13, 2019, selling 5,750,000 shares at $15.00 per share on Nasdaq under the ticker NXTC, raising $86.3 million gross and approximately $77.0 million net, and a follow-on offering in November 2019 raised $172.2 million gross.[20](https://ir.nextcure.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nextcure-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2019-financial) • [21](https://www.thepharmaletter.com/ones-to-watch/nextcure) At the IPO, Chen owned more than 5 percent of the stock and served in a consulting role earning $5,000 per month, and Yale also held more than 5 percent.[19](https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2019/04/29/md-biotech-files-to-go-public-in-up-to-92m.html) NextCure's lead program was NC318, a monoclonal antibody targeting Siglec-15; the company began the phase 2 portion of the NC318 phase 1/2 monotherapy trial in October 2019, initially in advanced or metastatic solid tumors including ovarian cancer, NSCLC, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and triple-negative breast cancer.[20](https://ir.nextcure.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nextcure-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2019-financial) • [22](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1661059/000155837020002566/nxtc-20191231x10k.htm) On July 13, 2020, NextCure issued an interim update on the phase 2 portion of the NC318 trial and announced the departure of its chief medical officer.[23](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/07/13/2061067/0/en/NextCure-Provides-an-Interim-Update-of-the-Phase-2-Portion-of-the-NC318-Monotherapy-Phase-1-2-Trial-and-Announces-Departure-of-Chief-Medical-Officer.html) In November 2022 the company ended development of NC318 after reviewing monotherapy data, including a phase 2 trial that had produced no responses.[24](https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/nextcure-discards-antibody-after-candidate-flunks-phase-2-cancer-trial) On September 21, 2020, a putative stockholder class action, *Ye Zhou v.[25](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1661059/000155837023013250/R17.htm) A related derivative suit, *Zach Liu v.[25](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1661059/000155837023013250/R17.htm) An all-stock merger with Avere Therapeutics was announced on July 14, 2026, with the combined company to trade as AVRX.[26](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/08/06/3340661/0/en/NextCure-Provides-Business-Update-and-Reports-Second-Quarter-2026-Financial-Results.html)
## Recent developments
Chen's laboratory has continued to move targets toward and through the clinic: 4-1BB agonists and B7-H4 antibodies are in Phase I/II trials, B7-H3 is a target for antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific T cell engagers, and CAR-T therapies in Phase I–III programs, and Siglec-15 and CD93 antibodies have reached Phase II.[2](https://medicine.yale.edu/immuno/profile/lieping-chen/) His 2025 publications include "B7-H3 as a Universal Target for Solid Tumor Therapy: Clinical Promise and Biological Complexity" in the *Journal of Clinical Oncology* (44:335–337), published in 2026, "Why has immune 'checkpoint' therapy failed in most clinical trials?" in the *Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer* (13:e012457), and "PD-L1 and the dawn of modern cancer immunotherapy" in *Nature Medicine* (31:1378).[2](https://medicine.yale.edu/immuno/profile/lieping-chen/)
## References
1. 陈列平, Fudan University profile. https://fdias.fudan.edu.cn/af/0e/c18401a175886/page.htm
2. Lieping Chen, MD, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, Immunobiology. https://medicine.yale.edu/immuno/profile/lieping-chen/
3. Lieping Chen, Immunology, University of Oxford. https://www.immunology.ox.ac.uk/about/team/lieping-chen
4. Academia Sinica academician record for Lieping Chen. https://academicians.sinica.edu.tw/index.php?_lang=en&id=745&r=academician-n%2Fshow
5. 杰出校友(第一期), Fujian Medical University American Alumni Association. https://fjmufriends.com/outstanding-alumni-index/outstanding-alumni-issue-one
6. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0092-8674(05)80059-5
7. https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(18)31247-9.pdf
8. Siglec-15 as an immune suppressor and potential target for normalization cancer immunotherapy. Nature Medicine, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30833750/
9. Project 1: Siglec-15 as a new target for lung cancer, Yale Cancer Center. https://medicine.yale.edu/cancer/research/excellence/lung/projects/proj1/
10. Lieping Chen, AACR Fellows of the AACR Academy. https://www.aacr.org/professionals/membership/aacr-academy/fellows/lieping-chen/
11. Yale Cancer Center's Dr. Lieping Chen Elected to Prestigious National Academy of Sciences. OncLive. https://www.onclive.com/view/yale-cancer-center-s-dr-lieping-chen-elected-to-prestigious-national-academy-of-sciences
12. About Us: Founder, NextCure, Inc. https://www.nextcure.com/founder/
13. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute v. Ono Pharmaceutical, Findings of Fact, US District Court. https://www.finnegan.com/a/web/310007/115cv13443_Dana-FarberCancerInstitute_v_OnoPharmaceuticals.pdf
14. With new startup, immunotherapy pioneer Lieping Chen tries to turn 'cold' tumors 'hot', BioPharma Dive. https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/normunity-cancer-immunotherapy-startup-lieping-chen/634717/
15. NextCure, Inc., New Immuno-Oncology Firm Announces $67 Million Series A Financing. https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/nextcure-inc-new-immuno-oncology-firm-announces-67-million
16. NextCure Raises $93 Million in Series B Financing. https://ir.nextcure.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nextcure-raises-93-million-series-b-financing-proceeds-will
17. Backed with $180M-plus in cash, I/O trailblazer Lieping Chen spotlights NextCure's preclinical work, Endpoints News. https://endpoints.news/armed-with-180m-in-cash-i-o-trailblazer-lieping-chen-spotlights-nextcures-preclinical-work-on-next-gen-antibody/
18. Three years after underwhelming data, Lieping Chen's NextCure drops lead program, Endpoints News. https://endpoints.news/three-years-after-underwhelming-data-lieping-chens-nextcure-drops-lead-program/
19. Md. biotech files to go public in up to $92M offering, Washington Business Journal. https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2019/04/29/md-biotech-files-to-go-public-in-up-to-92m.html
20. NextCure Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Financial Results. https://ir.nextcure.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nextcure-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2019-financial
21. NextCure | The Pharma Letter. https://www.thepharmaletter.com/ones-to-watch/nextcure
22. NextCure, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1661059/000155837020002566/nxtc-20191231x10k.htm
23. NextCure Provides an Interim Update of the Phase 2 Portion of the NC318 Monotherapy Phase 1/2 Trial and Announces Departure of Chief Medical Officer. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/07/13/2061067/0/en/NextCure-Provides-an-Interim-Update-of-the-Phase-2-Portion-of-the-NC318-Monotherapy-Phase-1-2-Trial-and-Announces-Departure-of-Chief-Medical-Officer.html
24. NextCure discards antibody after candidate flunks phase 2 trial, Fierce Biotech. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/nextcure-discards-antibody-after-candidate-flunks-phase-2-cancer-trial
25. NextCure SEC Filing, Commitments and Contingencies (Legal Proceedings), 6 Months Ended Jun. 30, 2023. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1661059/000155837023013250/R17.htm
26. NextCure Provides Business Update and Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/08/06/3340661/0/en/NextCure-Provides-Business-Update-and-Reports-Second-Quarter-2026-Financial-Results.html
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Life and health scientists › Medical and health researchers › Immunology and allergy researchers › Cellular and molecular immunology researchers › Lymphocyte and antibody researchers › Surnames A to L*
*Initially written Sep 19, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 21, 2026; Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 21, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
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