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Qianben Wang

Banks Anderson, Sr. Distinguished Professor
Pathology
Room 1027A, GSRB1, Box #103864,, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


Dr. Wang's laboratory is primarily focused on understanding the transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms that drive the progression of hormone-dependent cancers. Additionally, they investigate the role of host proteases in coronavirus infection. Their recent studies aim to combine CRISPR/Cas13 technologies with nanotechnology to target undruggable transcription factors in cancers and host proteases for controlling infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Banks Anderson, Sr. Distinguished Professor · 2024 - Present Pathology, Clinical Science Departments
Professor of Pathology · 2018 - Present Pathology, Clinical Science Departments
Professor of Cell Biology · 2022 - Present Cell Biology, Basic Science Departments
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2018 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published March 19, 2024
Duke Awards 32 New Distinguished Professorships for 2024
Published August 20, 2022
Taking a puff on a new inhaler could stop you getting Covid
Published August 3, 2022
Prepping treatments for COVID regardless of mutation

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Recent Publications


SCORT-Cas13d Nanotherapy Precisely Targets the 'Undruggable' Transcription Factor HoxB13 in Metastatic Prostate Cancer In Vivo.

Journal Article Adv Sci (Weinh) · May 11, 2025 Metastatic cancer, the primary cause of cancer mortality, frequently exhibits heightened dependence on certain transcription factors (TFs), which serve as master regulators of oncogenic signaling yet are often untargetable by small molecules. Selective Cel ... Full text Link to item Cite

Integrative analysis identifies the atypical repressor E2F8 as a targetable transcriptional activator driving lethal prostate cancer.

Journal Article Oncogene · March 2025 Acquired resistance to androgen receptor (AR)-targeted therapies underscores the need to identify alternative therapeutic targets for treating lethal prostate cancer. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic significance of 1635 human transcription facto ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hormone-induced enhancer assembly requires an optimal level of hormone receptor multivalent interactions.

Journal Article Mol Cell · October 5, 2023 Transcription factors (TFs) activate enhancers to drive cell-specific gene programs in response to signals, but our understanding of enhancer assembly during signaling events is incomplete. Here, we show that androgen receptor (AR) forms condensates throug ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Targeting Undruggable Transcription Factor HoxB13 to Inhibit Prostate Cancer Metastasis

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2029

Elucidating alternative polyadenylation regulation during prostate cancer progression to castration-resistance

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Targeting MED31-driven transcription recycling in lethal prostate cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Cancer Institute · 2023 - 2028

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Maryland, Baltimore · 2002 Ph.D.