Lyu Lab

Lyu Lab

Understanding how gut microbes and their products shape inflammation, cancer, and responses to immunotherapy.

Host–Microbe Interactions

The Lyu lab investigates how gut microbes and their products communicate with the host to regulate inflammation, cancer development and progression, and responses to cancer immunotherapy. We use multiomic approaches, together with studies of microbial signals and antigen-specific immune responses, to define mechanisms linking host–microbe interactions to disease. Our long-term goal is to uncover new mechanisms and develop therapeutic strategies for cancer and inflammatory diseases.

MICROBIAL METABOLITES AND CANCER

Identifying novel microbial products and defining the mechanisms by which they influence cancer development and responses to immunotherapy.

ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC IMMUNE RESPONSES AND CANCER

Investigating how microbial antigens and antigen-specific immune responses shape inflammation, cancer, and immunotherapy responses.

TRANSLATIONAL STUDIES IN HUMAN CANCER

Translating insights from experimental models to human cancer to identify host–microbe interactions and immune pathways with potential for therapeutic application.

Meet the Lyu Lab

Mengze Lyu, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Medical Oncology
Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Rutgers University

Dr. Mengze Lyu earned his Ph.D. in Cell Biology at Peking University, where he identified manganese as a key regulator of antitumor immunity through activation of the cGAS-STING pathway. He subsequently pursued postdoctoral training with Dr. Gregory F. Sonnenberg at Weill Cornell Medicine, where his research focused on the complex interplay between host immunity and the gut microbiota.

His work has defined the heterogeneity and immunological functions of RORγt⁺ antigen-presenting cells and their roles in immune tolerance and inflammation. Dr. Lyu's long-term goal is to uncover fundamental mechanisms of host–microbe crosstalk in inflammation and cancer, with the ultimate aim of developing novel strategies for treating inflammatory disease and cancer.

Resident Faculty Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine

Associate Member Center for Immunity & Inflammation

Member Rutgers Cancer Institute

FUNDING

K99/R00 – National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Budoor Al-Aydi

Research Specialist

Budoor earned her B.A. in Biology with Specialized Honors and a minor in Neuroscience from Drew University. Her previous research experience spans neurobiology and structural biology, with interests in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying disease.

Hazel Miao

Undergraduate Student (Class of 2028)

Hazel Miao is an undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. She has completed research projects in cancer biology and immunology, including a review paper on cancer vaccine therapeutics. Her research interests include cancer biology, tumor immunology, and host–microbe interactions.

Tyler Santos

Undergraduate Student (Class of 2028)

Tyler Santos is an undergraduate student majoring in molecular biology & biochemistry. He has completed his Associate Degree in Chemistry from the County College of Morris where he worked in the prep lab as a lab assistant. His research interests include a broad range of particle physics, cell biology, molecular chemistry, organic chemistry, and host-microbe interactions.

Kailyn Yun

Undergraduate Student (Class of 2030)

Kailyn Yun is a first-year undergraduate student at Rutgers University's Honors College, intending to major in Genetics and Genomics. A recipient of the Rensselaer Medal, she previously completed a summer research internship at NYU, where she gained experience studying neuroimmune interactions regulating intestinal homeostasis. She also submitted a research paper to the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition. Her research interests include intestinal homeostasis, host–microbe interactions, tumor immunology, and translational immunotherapy.

Selected Publications

Also published as Lv, Mengze

2026

Lyu M*, Sonnenberg GF*. B7 costimulation antagonizes RORγt⁺ regulatory T cells and immune tolerance in the intestine.

Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2026 Apr 24; 223(6):e20251094.

*Corresponding author; Primary Research

DOI: 10.1084/jem.20251094

2024

Abramson J*, Dobeš J*, Lyu M*, Sonnenberg GF*. The emerging family of RORγt⁺ antigen-presenting cells.

Nature Reviews Immunology. 2024 Jan; 24:64–77.

*Equal contributions

DOI: 10.1038/s41577-023-00906-5

2022

Lyu M, Suzuki H, Kang L, Gaspal F, Zhou W, Goc J, Zhou L, Zhou J, Zhang W, JRI Live Cell Bank, Shen Z, Fox JG, Sockolow RE, Laufer TM, Fan Y, Eberl G, Withers DR, Sonnenberg GF. ILC3s select microbiota-specific regulatory T cells to establish tolerance in the gut.

Nature. 2022 Oct; 610:744–751.

Highlight in Nature, Immunity and Science Immunology

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05141-x

2022

Zhang W, Lyu M, Bessman NJ, Xie Z, Arifuzzaman M, Yano H, Parkhurst CN, Chu C, Zhou L, Putzel GG, Li T, Jin W, Zhou J, JRI Live Cell Bank, Hu H, Tsou AM, Guo C, Artis D. Gut-innervating nociceptors regulate the intestinal microbiota to promote tissue protection.

Cell. 2022 Oct 27; 185(22):4170–4189.e20.

Highlight in Cell, Immunity and Nature Reviews Immunology

DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.09.008

2021

Goc J, Lv M, Bessman NJ, Flamar A-L, Sahota S, Suzuki H, Teng F, Putzel GG, JRI Live Cell Bank, Eberl G, Withers DR, Arthur JC, Shah MA, Sonnenberg GF. Dysregulation of ILC3s unleashes progression and immunotherapy resistance in colon cancer.

Cell. 2021 Sep 16; 184(19):5015–5030.e16.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.029

2020

Lv M*, Chen M*, Zhang R, Zhang W, Wang C, Zhang Y, Wei X, Guan Y, Liu J, Feng K, Jing M, Wang X, Liu Y, Mei Q, Han W, Jiang Z. Manganese is critical for antitumor immune responses via cGAS-STING and improves the efficacy of clinical immunotherapy.

Cell Research. 2020 Nov; 30(11):966–979.

Featured as Cover Story; *Equal contributions

DOI: 10.1038/s41422-020-00395-4

FULL PUBLICATION LIST