Laboratory of Endocrinology and Immune System

Endocrine–Immune–Metabolic Crosstalk in Human Disease

Our laboratory investigates how endocrine signals reshape immune and metabolic networks in human disease. We aim to understand how hormones, immune cells, and tissue metabolism interact to drive systemic complications such as muscle wasting, bone loss, liver injury, fibrosis, chronic kidney disease, and cancer-associated metabolic dysfunction.

As a physician-scientist laboratory, we combine clinical observation with mechanistic experimentation. Our research integrates human cohorts, mouse disease models, single-cell and spatial multi-omics, metabolomics, proteomics, extracellular vesicle biology, and functional validation to identify disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

Current Research Focus

1. Thyroid Hormone Excess and Immune-Metabolic Remodeling

We study how excess thyroid hormone alters systemic metabolism and immune cell function. A major focus is the role of γδ T cells in thyrotoxicosis-associated muscle, bone, and metabolic complications. By integrating human samples before and after antithyroid treatment with mouse models of thyroid hormone excess, we aim to define immune-metabolic pathways that contribute to tissue damage and recovery.

2. Liver Injury, Fibrosis, and Regeneration

We investigate metabolic communication between hepatocytes, hepatic stellate cells, immune cells, and the liver microenvironment during fibrosis, regeneration, and liver cancer development. Our work focuses on amino acid metabolism, creatine/guanidino metabolism, extracellular vesicles, and stromal-immune interactions as regulators of liver injury repair and tumor progression.

3. Exercise Hormones and Extracellular Vesicle Multi-omics

We aim to discover circulating mediators of exercise adaptation in humans. Using plasma and extracellular vesicles collected before, immediately after, and several hours after acute resistance or endurance exercise, we perform proteomic and metabolomic profiling to identify exercise-induced signaling molecules that may regulate metabolism, inflammation, muscle function, and systemic health.

4. Sarcopenia, Chronic Kidney Disease, and Translational Metabolism

We study metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms underlying sarcopenia, frailty, and chronic kidney disease. By combining clinical phenotyping, body composition analysis, multi-omics profiling, and intervention studies, we seek to identify biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for metabolic complications in aging and chronic disease.

Our Approach

The Yi Lab bridges clinical medicine and experimental biology. We use patient-derived samples to generate biologically relevant hypotheses and test them in mechanistic models. Our long-term goal is to translate discoveries in endocrine and immune metabolism into therapeutic strategies for complex human diseases.

Our key methodologies include:

• Human cohort studies and clinical phenotyping

• Single-cell RNA sequencing and immune profiling

• Spatial transcriptomics and spatial metabolomics

• Plasma and extracellular vesicle proteomics/metabolomics

• Mouse models of endocrine, liver, kidney, and metabolic disease

• Functional validation of candidate pathways and therapeutic targets

Research Vision

We believe that endocrine diseases are not limited to hormone-producing organs. Hormonal perturbations can reprogram immune cells, tissue metabolism, and inter-organ communication. By defining these networks, our laboratory aims to uncover new mechanisms of disease and develop strategies to improve metabolic health, tissue repair, and healthy aging.