Neurosurgery

Lu Sun, PhD

Lu Sun, PHD - Neurosurgery

Lu Sun, PhD 
Adjunct Assistant Professor

Hospital Affiliation
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Department of Neurosurgery
PO Box 956901
Los Angeles, CA 90095-6901
 

Contact: [email protected]

Education

  • BS, Material Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China (2006)
  • PhD, Biophysics, National University of Singapore, Singapore (2011)

Research Area

My research seeks to understand how brain tumors develop therapeutic resistance and to translate these insights into clinically meaningful advances. Using integrated multi-omics approaches—including genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and spatial transcriptomics—I investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying resistance to targeted therapies and immunotherapies in both primary and metastatic brain tumors. Through the development of innovative computational methods and biomarker discovery frameworks, my goal is to improve prognosis and advance precision medicine for patients with brain tumors.

LINKS

Department of Neurosurgery

Awards

  • 2017 Best of Cell 2016 Article
  • 2020 Abstract Award for Excellence in Adult Basic Science, Society of Neuro-Oncology
  • 2022 Abstract Award for CNS Metastases Research, Society of Neuro-Oncology
  • 2025 Top Scoring Abstract Award, Quadrennial WFNOS Meeting and the 30th SNO Annual Meeting

Publications (Recent Articles)

  1. Sun L, Cheng QH, Gao HJ and Zhang YW. Computational modeling for cell spreading on a substrate mediated by specific interactions, long-range recruiting interactions, and diffusion of binders. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2009 Jun;79(6 Pt 1):061907. PMID: 19658524. 
  2. Sun L, Cheng QH, Gao HJ and Zhang YW. A nonlinear characteristic regime of biomembrane force probe. Journal of Biomechanics. 2011 Feb 24;44(4): 662-668. PMID: 21093866. 
  3. Sun L, Cheng QH, Gao HJ and Zhang YW. Effect of loading conditions on the dissociation behaviour of catch bond clusters. Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 2012 May 7;9(70):928-937. PMID: 21937488. 
  4. Hugo W*, Shi H*, Sun L*, Piva M*, Song C, Kong X, Moriceau G, Dahlman KB, Johnson DB, Sosman JA, Ribas A, and Lo RS. Non-genomic and immune evolution of melanoma acquiring MAPKi resistance. Cell. 2015 Sep 10;162(6):1271-85. PMID: 26359985. *Equal authorship 
  5. Hugo W, Zaretsky J, Sun L, Song C, Moreno B, Hu-Lieskovan S, Berent-Maoz B, Pang J, Chmielowski B, Cherry G, Seja E, Lomeli S, Kong X, Kelley M, Sosman J, Johnson D, Ribas A, Lo RS. Genomic and Transcriptomic Features of Resistance and Sensitivity to Anti-PD-1 Therapy in Metastatic Melanoma. Cell. 2016 Mar 24;165(1):35-44. PMID: 26997480. 
  6. Escuin-Ordinas H, Li S, Xie MW, Sun L, Hugo W, Huang RR, Jiao J, de-Faria FM, Realegeno S, Krystofinski P, Azhdam A, Komenan SM, Atefi M, Comin-Anduix B, Pellegrini M, Cochran AJ, Modlin RL, Herschman HR, Lo RS, McBride WH, Segura T, Ribas A. Cutaneous wound healing through paradoxical MAPK activation by BRAF inhibitors. Nature Communications. 2016 Aug 1;7:12348. PMID: 27476449. 
  7. Garcia-Diaz A, Shin DS, Homet Moreno B, Saco J, Escuin-Ordinas H, Zaretsky JM, Sun L, Hugo W, Wang X, Parisi P, Puig-Saus C, Graeber TG, Comin-Anduix B, Damoiseaux R, Lo RS and Ribas A. Interferon receptor signaling pathways regulating PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression. Cell Report. 2017 May 9;19(6):1189-1201. PMID: 28494868. 
  8. Song C*, Piva M*, Sun L*, Hong A, Moriceau G, Kong X, Zhang H, Lomeli S, Qian J, Yu CC, Damoiseaux R, Kelley MC, Dahlman KB, Scumpia PO, Sosman JA, Johnson DB, Ribas A, Hugo W, Lo RS. Recurrent Tumor Cell-Intrinsic and -Extrinsic Alterations during MAPKi-Induced Melanoma Regression and Early Adaptation. Cancer Discovery. 2017 Nov;7(11):1248-1265.PMID: 28864476. *Equal authorship 
  9. Hong A, Moriceau G, Sun L, Lomeli S, Piva M, Damoiseaux R, Holmen SL, Sharpless NE, Hugo W, Lo RS. Exploiting drug addiction mechanisms to select against MAPKi-resistant melanoma. Cancer Discovery. 2018 Jan;8(1):74-93. pii: CD-17-0682. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-17-0682. PMID: 28923912. 
  10. Escuin-Ordinas H, Liu Y, Sun L, Hugo W, Dimatteo, Huang R, Krystofinski P, Azhdam A, Lee J, Comin-Anduix B, Cochran AJ, Lo RS, Segura T, Scumpia P and Ribas A. Wound healing with topical BRAF inhibitor therapy in a diabetic model suggests tissue regenerative effects. PLoS ONE. 2021 Jan; 16(6): e0252597. PMID: 34161353. 
  11. Lee AH*, Sun L*, Mochizuki AY, Reynoso JG, Orpilla J, Chow F, Kienzler JC, Everson RG, Nathanson DA, Bensinger SJ, Liau LM, Cloughesy T, Hugo W, Prins RM. Neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade induces T cell and cDC1 activation but fails to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor associated macrophages in recurrent glioblastoma. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 26;12(1):6938. PMID: 34836966. *equal first authorship. 
  12. Ding L, Sun L, Bu MT, Scott LN, Prins RM, Su MA, Lechner MG, Hugo W. Antigen presentation by clonally diverse CXCR5+ B cells to CD4 and CD8 T cells is associated with durable response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Front Immunol. 2023; 14: 1176994. PMID: 37435085. 
  13. Sun L*, Kienzler JC*, Reynoso JG, Lee AH, Shiuan E, Li S, Kim J, Ding L, Monteleone AJ, Owens GC, Phillips J, Everson RG, Nathanson DA, Cloughesy TF, Li G, Liau LM, Hugo W, Kim W, and Prins RM. Immune checkpoint blockade induces distinct alterations in the microenvironment of primary and metastatic brain tumors. J Clin Invest. 2023;133(17): e169314. PMID: 37655659. *equal first authorship. 
  14. Everson RG, Hugo W, Sun L, Antonios J, Orpilla J, Lee A, Khattab S, Chavez C, Billingslea-Yoon E, Salazar A, Ellingson BM, Cloughesy TF, Liau LM and Prins RM. Dendritic Cell Vaccination in Conjunction with a TLR Agonist Polarizes Interferon Immune Responses Associated with Long-term Survival in Malignant Glioma Patients. Nat Commun. 2024 May 8;15(1):3882. PMID: 37790490. 
  15. Lai TJ, Sun L, Li K, Prins TJ, Treger J, Li T, Sun MZ, Nathanson DA, Liau LM, Lai A, Prins RM, Everson RG. Epigenetic Induction of Cancer-Testis Antigens and Endogenous Retroviruses at Single-Cell Level Enhances Immune Recognition and Response in Glioma. Cancer Research Communications (2024) 4 (7): 1834–1849. PMID: 38856710. 
  16. McFaline-Figueroa JR*, Sun L*, Qiao Y, Youssef GC, Li G, Kim J, Lee E, Nayak L, Chukwueke U, Beroukhim R, Batchelor T, Chiocca EA, Doherty L, Stefanik J, Partridge K, Spearman A, Myers A, Westergaard C, Russ A, Lavallee M, Smokovich A, LaForest-Roys C, Fox Garcia R, McCluskey C, Bi WL, Arnaout O, Peruzzi P, Cosgrove GR, Ligon KL, Arrillaga-Romany I, Clarke JL, Reardon DA, Cloughesy TF, Prins RM, Wen PY. Neoadjuvant anti-PD1 immunotherapy for surgically accessible recurrent glioblastoma: clinical and molecular outcomes of a stage 2 single-arm expansion cohort. Nat Commun. 15, 10757 (2024). PMID: 39737895. *equal first authorship.
  17. Sanvito F, Nocera G, Wang Z, Shiuan E, Sun L, Oshima S, Kim A, Kryukov I, Shao G, Cho NS, Salamon N, Ellingson BM, Prins RM, Kim W, Yao J. Diffusion and contrast-enhancement MRI phenotypes associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor exposure and with immune cell infiltration in brain metastases. Neuro Oncol. 2025 Sep 17;27(8):2194-2205. PMID: 40119850.
  18. Baisiwala S, Fazzari E, Li MX, Martija A, Azizad DJ, Sun L, Herrera G, Phan T, Monteleone A, Kan RL, Nathanson DA, Wang AC, Kim W, Everson RG, Patel KS, Liau LM, Prins RM, Bhaduri A. A human tumor-immune organoid model of glioblastoma. Cell Reports 2026 Jan; 45(1):116790. PMID: 40667050.
  19. Sun L, Markus LF, Sanchez JC, Lai TJ, Lee EQ, Li G, Kim J, Zhuang Z, Acevedo B, Everson TH, Mellinghoff IK, Aquilanti E, L. Castro NG, McFaline-Figueroa JR, Nayak L, Beroukhim R, Chong RA, Stone J, Kaley T, Schaff L, Wilcox J, Westergaard C, Russ A, Lavallee M, Chukwueke U, Van den Abbeele AD, Lim M, Ellingson BM, Reardon DA, Cloughesy TF, Prins RM, Wen PY. Neoadjuvant PD1 plus CTLA-4 immune checkpoint blockade in surgically resectable recurrent glioblastoma: a randomized surgical window-of-opportunity trial. Accepted in Nat Commun.

Read my PubMed publications