This team mainly focuses on uncovering epigenetic, post-translational, and immune regulatory mechanisms driving obesity and its related metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

Combining single-cell techniques, cell type-specific gene manipulation, and multi-omic approaches, the research group systematically investigates the regulatory network across liver, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and immune system to decode how inter-organ crosstalk regulates metabolic homeostasis under overnutrition. Collectively, their discoveries illuminate a multi-layered network of regulation in obesity-associated metabolic disorders, spanning from epigenetic modifications, non-coding RNAs, and exosomes to the field of immunometabolism.

Currently, they are trying to identify secretory biomolecules and immune cell subsets induced by metabolic stress, aiming to develop targeted therapeutic strategies for the intervention of obesity and type 2 diabetes. 

Research Team

Dr. Cong-Yi (CY) Wang

Principle Investigator and Scientific Director

Qatar Biomedical Research Institute

Dr. Chunliang Yang

Research Fellow

Qatar Biomedical Research Institute

Dr. Nayra M.AI-Thani

Research Fellow

Dr. Maryam S.AI-Motawa

Research Fellow

Asmaa Al-Mesaifri

PhD Student

Asma S. Al-Dosari

PhD Student

Latest Publications

Rong, S. J., Yang, C. L., Xiao, K., Chen, Q. J., Zhao, J. W., Liu, Y. C., Guo, Y. C., Wang, F. X., Li, X., Luo, X., Li, Y., Song, D. N., Gu, W., Zhu, X. Y., Liu, S. W., Yang, P., Al-Motawa, M. S., Albagha, O., Sun, F., ... Wang, C. Y. (2026). Fludarabine disrupts the STAT1/AhR interaction to attenuate type 1 diabetes by inducing tolerogenic dendritic cells along with targeting effector T cells. Molecular Medicine, 32(1), Article 86. Advance online publication.
Yue, H., He, J., Dong, R., Zhang, F., Zhou, Q., He, Y., Zhang, S., Yu, Q., Yang, P., Gu, W., Liu, X., Xiong, W., Zhao, J., Wang, Y., Wang, C.-Y., & Zhang, H. (2026). Kynurenine suppresses macrophage M2 program synergistically with pirfenidone to attenuate pulmonary fibrosis. Cell Communication and Signaling. Advance online publication.
Wang, C., Hou, Y., Zhang, M., Wang, J., Chu, X., Liang, M., Sun, C., Xie, J., Zhang, J., & Wang, C.-Y. (2025). miR-432 exacerbates obesity-induced dysregulation of glucose and lipid homeostasis. Diabetes. Advance online publication.
Xie, H., Gao, Z., Liu, X., Zhang, S., Wang, Y., Gao, J., Qi, P., Zhang, L., Zhao, J., Xiong, T., Huang, T., Song, J., Yu, Q., Zhang, S., Liu, Y., Yang, P., Al-Motawa, M. S., Gong, Q., Dong, J., Yin, H., Sun, F., Liu, S., & Wang, C.-Y. (2025). Ubc9-mediated SUMOylation of RPL3, an unappreciated mechanism against hepatocyte senescence by repressing the DHX9-p16 axis. Advanced Science. Advance online publication.
Xu, Q., Zhang, J., Zou, Y., Chen, L., Sun, F., Luo, X., Wang, T., Li, Y., Zhang, S., Xiong, F., Yu, Q., Yang, P., Gong, Q., Liu, S.W., Wang, C.Y. (2025). WTAP Maintains Alternative Activation of Macrophages by Promoting IDH1-Mediated α-ketoglutarate Production. International Journal of Biological Sciences, 21(12), 5428-5443.
Tembo, M. K., Wang, X., Mansoor, B., Qianrui, L., Farouk, B., Mohammad Javad, M., Fei, S., & Wang, C.-Y. (2025). Exploring the bioactivity of microRNAs originated from plant exosome-like nanoparticles (PELNs): Current perspectives. Journal of Nanotechnology. Advance online publication.
Ai, D., Bai, Y., Bi, Y., Bian, X.-W., Bu, P., Cai, J.-P., Cao, C.-M., Cao, F., Cao, Z., Chai, R., Chan, P., Chen, C., Chen, C.-S., Chen, C., Chen, D., Chen, H.-Z., Chen, L., Chen, Q., Chen, X., ... Liu, G.-H. (2025). The X-Age Project to construct a Chinese aging clock. Nature Aging.
Zhou, Q., Gao, J., Wu, G., Wang, C., Yang, Y., Huang, T., Wang, Y., Yue, T., Gao, Z., Xie, H., Xiong, F., Xiang, K., Yong, T., Zhang, W., Zhang, T., Kong, W., Chen, C., Zhang, S., Yu, Q., . . . Wang, C. Y. (2025). Adipose progenitor cell-derived extracellular vesicles suppress macrophage M1 program to alleviate midlife obesity. Nature Communications, 16(1), 2743.
Wang, Y., Xie, H., Liu, Q., Wang, N., Luo, X., Sun, F., Zhu, J., Dong, R., Wang, Y., Gao, J., Gao, Z., Huang, T., Liu, X., Yu, Q., Wang, T., Li, Y., Song, D., Liu, S., Zhang, S., . . . Wang, C. Y. (2025). Kdm2a inhibition in skeletal muscle improves metabolic flexibility in obesity. Nature Metabolism, 7(2), 383-400.
Luo, J., Wang, F., Zhao, J., Yang, C., Rong, S., Lu, W., Chen, Q., Zhou, Q., Xiao, J., Wang, Y., Luo, X., Li, Y., Song, D., Zhang, S., Chen, S., Yang, P., Xiong, F., Yu, Q., Zhang, S., Sun, F., & Wang, C.-Y. (2024). Protein disulfide isomerase 3 (PDIA3) potentiates macrophage-mediated inflammation in obesity by regulating the RhoA-YAP signaling. Cell Metabolism, 36(10), 2262–2280.e5.