SELF-INTRODUCTION：

Dr. Chao Qin is an Assistant Professor, independent Principal Investigator (PI) in the School of Medicine of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). He earned his Ph.D. from China Agricultural University in 2019. Then he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Southern California, USA, and was promoted to Research Assistant Professor in 2024. He joined SUSTech in May 2026. Dr. Qin has long been dedicated to the research on cell metabolism, viral infection, and cancers. His relevant research findings, including as first author (including co-first author), have been published in internationally renowned journals such as Immunity, Molecular Cell, PNAS, PLOS Pathogens, and mBio.

EDUCATION:

2014. 09–2019. 06: Ph.D., China Agricultural University

2010.09–2014.07: B.S., Shandong Agricultural University

WOKRING EXPERIENCE:

2026.5 to present Assistant Professor, Southern University of Science and Technology, China

2024.6 to 2026.2 Research Assistant Professor, University of Southern California, USA

2022.7 to 2024.5 Research Associate, University of Southern California, USA

2019.8 to 2022.6 Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Southern California, USA

HONORS AND AWARDS:

Post-doctoral trainee award, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, 2023, USA

Outstanding Service Award for Faculty Contribution, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, 2025, USA

RESEARCH:

Exploring LC-MS technology for metabolomics and proteomics analysis, combined with molecular virology, cell biology, immunology, and other research approaches, I conduct cutting-edge interdisciplinary research. The main research include: (1) The interplay among cellular metabolism, viral infection, and antiviral immunity, with a focus on the non-canonical functions of metabolic enzymes and metabolites in viral replication and innate immune regulation; (2) The activation mechanisms of cellular metabolic enzymes and their roles in viral infection and cancers.

MANUSCRIPT REVIEWER AND EDITOR：

Ad hoc reviewer for: PLOS Pathogens, EMBO Report, Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, Virulence, Frontiers in Immunology, Frontiers in Microbiology, Heliyon, F1000Research, Infectious Medicine, Gene Reports, Water Biology and Security, and PLOS ONE.

PUBLICATIONS：

Lead-authorship Publications

1. Qin C, An Z, Feng S, Fu W, Xie X, Savas AC, Xie T, Brenner C, Saito T, Feng P. Metabolic profiling reveals pyrimidine synthesis enzyme CAD as a central carbon metabolism signaling node in cancer cell proliferation. Molecular Cell. 2026. 86, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2026.03.016

2. Rao Y*, Qin C*, Savas AC, Liu Q, Feng S, Hou G, Xie T, Feng P. Pyrimidine synthesis enzyme CTP synthetase 1 suppresses antiviral interferon induction by deamidating IRF3. Immunity. 2025 Jan 14;58(1):74-89.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.11.020. (*co-first author)

3. Rao Y*, Qin C*, Espinosa B, Wang T, Feng S, Savas AC, Jill H, Comai L, Zhang C, Feng P. Targeting CTP Synthetase 1 to Restore Interferon Induction and Impede Nucleotide Synthesis in SARS-CoV-2 Infection. mBio. 2025 Jun 11;16(6):e0064925. (*co-first author)

4. Qin C*, Xie T, Yeh WW, Savas AC, Feng P*. Metabolic Enzymes in Viral Infection and Host Innate Immunity. Viruses. 2024, 16(1), 35. (*co-corresponding author)

5. Qin C, Feng S, Feng P. STeerING PI4P for innate immune activation. Immunity. 2023, 14;56(3):463-465.

6. Qin C, Rao Y, Yuan H, Wang T, Zhao J, Espinosa B, Liu Y, Zhang S, Savas AC, Liu Q, Zarinfar M, Rice S, Henley J, Comai L, Graham NA, Chen C, Zhang C, Feng P. SARS-CoV-2 Couples Evasion of Inflammatory Response to Activated Nucleotide Synthesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 2022, 119(26):e2122897119

7. Qin C, Zhang R, Lang Y, Shao A, Xu A, Feng W, Han J, Wang M, He W, Yu C, Tang J.  Bclaf1 critically regulates the type I interferon response and is degraded by alphaherpesvirus US3. PLOS Pathogens. 2019, 15, e1007559.

Co-authorship Publications

8. Feng S, Xie N, Liu Y, Qin C, Savas AC, Wang TY, Li S, Rao Y, Shambayate A, Chou TF, Brenner C, Huang C, Feng P. Cryptic phosphoribosylase activity of NAMPT restricts the virion incorporation of viral proteins. Nature Metabolism. 2024 Dec;6(12):2300-2318. doi: 10.1038/s42255-024-01162-0.

9. Xie T, Qin C, Savas AC, Yeh WW, Feng P. The emerging roles of glutamine amidotransferases in metabolism and immune defense. Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids. 2024;43(8):783-797. doi: 10.1080/15257770.2024.2351135.

10. Gao C, Xiao C, Wang M, Liang X, Qin C, Zhang H, Bai R, Zhang R, Feng W, Yang J, Tang J. HIF-1 Transcriptionally Regulates Basal Expression of STING to Maintain Cellular Innate Immunity. Journal of Immunology. 2024 Aug 15;213(4):494-505. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2400123.

11. Cui Q, Jeyachandran AV, Garcia G, Qin C, Zhou Y, Zhang M, Wang C, Sun G, Liu W, Zhou T, Feng L, Palmer C, Li Z, Aziz A, Gomperts BN, Feng P, Arumugaswami V, Shi Y. The Apolipoprotein E neutralizing antibody inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection by blocking cellular entry of lipoviral particles. MedComm. 2023, 4(5):e400

12. Zhang X, Meng W, Feng J, Gao X, Qin C, Feng P, Huang Y, Gao SJ. METTL16 controls Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus replication by regulating S-adenosylmethionine cycle. Cell Death and Disease. 2023, 14(9):591

13. Ngo C, Fried W, Aliyari S, Feng J, Qin C, Zhang S, Yang H, Shanaa J, Feng P, Cheng G, Chen XS, Zhang C. Alkyne as a Latent Warhead to Covalently Target SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2023, 66(17):12237-12248

14. Dong W, Wang J, Tian L, Zhang J, Settles E, Qin C, et al. Factor Xa cleaves SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to block viral entry and infection. Nature Communications. 2023, 14, 1936.

15. Wang M, Song J, Gao C, Yu C, Qin C, Lang Y, Xu A, Liu Y, Feng W, Tang J, Zhang R. UHRF1 Deficiency Inhibits Alphaherpesvirus through Inducing RIG-I-IRF3-Mediated Interferon Production. Journal of Virology. 2023, 97(3):e0013423

16. Kim K, Calabrese P, Wang S, Qin C, Rao Y, Feng P, Chen XS. The roles of APOBEC-mediated RNA editing in SARS-CoV-2 mutations, replication and fitness. Scientific Reports. 2022 Sep 13;12(1):14972. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-19067-x.

17. Wang M, Liu Y, Qin C, Lang Y, Xu A, Yu C, Zhao Z, Zhang R, Yang J, Tang J. Pseudorabies Virus EP0 Antagonizes the Type I Interferon Response via Inhibiting IRF9 Transcription. Journal of Virology. 2022, 13;96(13):e0217121

18. Wang C, Qu R, Zong Y, Qin C, Liu L, Gao X, Sun H, Sun Y, Chang KC, Zhang R, Liu J, Pu J. Enhanced stability of M1 protein mediated by a phospho-resistant mutation promotes the replication of prevailing avian influenza virus in mammals. PLOS Pathogens. 2022, 18(7):e1010645

19. Zhang R, Xue T, Shao A, Lang Y, Qin C, Zhao M, Kuang Y, Yu Z, Geng Y, Zhao C, Tang J. Bclaf1 regulates c-FLIP expression and protects cells from TNF-induced apoptosis and tissue injury. EMBO Report. 2022, 23:e52702

20. Liu Y, Qin C, Rao Y, Ngo C, Feng JJ, Zhao J, Zhang S, Wang TY, Carriere J, Savas AC, Zarinfar M, Rice S, Yang H, Yuan W, Camarero JA, Yu J, Chen XS, Zhang C, Feng P. SARS-CoV-2 Nsp5 Demonstrates Two Distinct Mechanisms Targeting RIG-I and MAVS To Evade the Innate Immune Response. mBio. 2021, 12(5):e0233521

21. Zhang R, Chen S, Zhang Y, Wang M, Qin C, Yu C, Zhang Y, Li Y, Chen L, Zhang X, Yuan X, Tang J. Pseudorabies Virus DNA Polymerase Processivity Factor UL42 Inhibits Type I Interferon Response by Preventing ISGF3-ISRE Interaction. Journal of Immunology. 2021, 207 (2) 613-625.

22. Huang H, Zhao J, Wang TY, Zhang S, Zhou Y, Rao Y, Qin C, Liu Y, Chen Y, Xia Z, Feng P. Species-Specific Deamidation of RIG-I Reveals Collaborative Action between Viral and Cellular Deamidases in HSV-1 Lytic Replication. mBio. 2021 Mar 30;12(2):e00115-21. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00115-21.

23. Zhao J, Qin C, Liu Y, Rao Y, Feng P. Herpes Simplex Virus and Pattern Recognition Receptors: An Arms Race. Frontiers in Immunology. 2021, 11:613799

24. Yu C, Xu A, Lang Y, Qin C, Yuan X, Feng W, Wang M, Gao C, Chen J, Zhang R, Tang J. Swine Promyelocytic Leukemia Isoform II Inhibits Pseudorabies Virus Infection by Suppressing Viral Gene Transcription in PML-NBs. Journal of Virology. 2020, 94(18):e01197-20.

25. Shao A, Lang Y, Wang M, Qin C, Kuang Y, Mei Y, Lin D, Zhang S, Tang J. Bclaf1 is a direct target of HIF-1 and critically regulates the stability of HIF-1α under hypoxia. Oncogene. 2020, 29:2807-2818.

26. Zhang R, Xu A, Qin C, Zhang Q, Chen S, Lang Y, Wang M, Li C, Feng W, Zhang R, Jiang Z, Tang J. Pseudorabies Virus dUTPase UL50 Induces Lysosomal Degradation of Type I Interferon Receptor 1 and Antagonizes the Alpha Interferon Response. Journal of Virology. 2017, 91(21):e01148-17.

27. Xu A, Qin C, Lang Y, Wang M, Lin M, Li C, Zhang R, Tang J. A simple and rapid approach to manipulate pseudorabies virus genome by CRISPR/Cas9 system. Biotechnology Letters. 2015 Jun;37(6):1265-72. doi: 10.1007/s10529-015-1796-2.