Ling Huang, PhD

Biographical Statement

Dr. Huang is an assistant scientist in the Department of Surgery at Henry Ford, focused on prostate and pancreatic cancer. He directs the Organoid Research Platform. Dr. Huang's background in developmental biology led him to research that uses patient-derived and stem cell-derived organoids to study pathways driving pancreatic cancer and to understand how genetic ancestry shapes population-specific tumor development. He further extended his efforts in translational medicine in pancreatic cancer research to assess the feasibility of applying organoids for biomarkers for precision medicine when working as an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Currently, he also holds an academic appointment as an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Michigan State University.

Research Interests

• Through the application of stem cell-derived human organoids, he has provided evidence that KRAS mutant induces distinct morphological and molecule changes in human pancreatic ductal and acinar lineages. Additionally, he has shown that organoids serve as powerful tools for identifying candidates for diagnostic biomarkers of pancreatic cancer and for predicting patient responses to standard of care treatments.
• How modulation of RNA splicing influences drug response in pancreatic cancer and how ancestry associated biological pathways may contribute to pancreatic tumor development across diverse populations.
• Using patient-derived tumor organoids for investigating precision biology and personalized medicine in pancreatic, breast and prostate cancer.
• Developing normal and tumor organoid models to understand the biology of pancreatic cancer initiation and progression.
• Discover new biomarkers for early detection of pancreatic cancer.

Email: lhuang4@hfhs.org