Yanling Liao, PhD

Dr. Yanling Liao is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at New York Medical College. Trained in biochemistry, she completed her PhD at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and pursued postdoctoral training at Stanford University in Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Liao has built a distinguished academic career focused on stem cell-based regenerative medicine and the molecular mechanisms of chronic inflammation and fibrosis. Her pioneering work in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) has led to important insights into immune dysregulation, fibroblast activation, and the therapeutic application to repair and stabilize fragile skin. She has been continuously funded by organizations such as DEBRA UK and DEBRA Research.    More recently, Dr. Liao has expanded her research program into the field of cancer immunotherapy, with a focus on natural killer (NK) cell-based therapies and combinatorial immune strategies. She serves as a co-investigator on several Department of Defense-funded clinical translational studies targeting high-risk pediatric malignancies such as AML. Her work is helping to define mechanisms of resistance and to develop strategies that enhance the anti-tumor activity of NK cells and CAR-based immunotherapies. With expertise spanning both regenerative and immune-based cellular therapy, Dr. Liao is uniquely positioned to bridge the fields of chronic inflammatory disease and oncology, leveraging immune modulation as a therapeutic axis in both.