Xiangming Ji, PhD

Dr. Ji is currently an Associate Professor at Penn State University. Our research focuses on metabolic studies in the airway epithelium, spanning from normal cells to at-risk epithelial cells, and ultimately to cancer cells. We are accumulating evidence that metabolic reprogramming plays a critical role in the airway epithelial compartment, central to the development of lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer. Our current research aims to elucidate the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes and the associated metabolic reprogramming. Our work is highly interdisciplinary, encompassing molecular biology, induced pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids, and metabolic flux analysis. Ultimately, the goals of these projects are to identify potential metabolites that could be used as therapeutic and diagnostic biomarkers in the future.