Our Team

Dr. Xinxin Song, M.D., Ph.D., specializes in the molecular mechanisms and treatments of KRAS mutant cancers, including pancreatic and lung cancers. She earned her medical degree from the Health Science Center at Peking University and later obtained her Ph.D. from the Peking Union Medical College in China. Throughout her doctoral studies, Dr. Song delved into the complexities of the tumor microenvironment, especially its impact on the efficacy of cancer vaccines.

During her post-doctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh under the guidance of Dr. Yong Lee, Dr. Song devised a therapeutic strategy to enhance the efficacy of the Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL). This strategy facilitated the release of cytochrome c, leading to apoptotic cell death. Additionally, Dr. Song refined TRAIL-based therapy by arming natural killer (NK) cells with secretory TRAIL. This adjustment decreased TRAIL clearance rates, resulting in a subsequent delay in tumor growth in mouse models.

While working with Dr. Daolin Tang's lab, Dr. Song focuses on the resistance mechanisms of ferroptosis, encompassing metabolic checkpoints and transcriptional regulation. Her profound interest also extends to the role of small molecule compounds in cancer biology. Dr. Song conducted screenings to identify compounds that induce pH-dependent cell death and others the mitigate drug resistance.

Dr. Song joined the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as an Assistant Professor and established her laboratory in 2023. She received the Friends of Prentice Award in 2018 and the Early Career American Cancer Society (ACS) Institutional Research Grant in 2022. Furthermore, Dr. Song is a member of both the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC) and the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR).