Chi Lab Team

Dr. Hongbo Chi is an immunologist with a long-standing interest in immunometabolism and systems immunology. His laboratory has contributed foundational work and seminal discoveries to immunometabolism, pioneering the concept of metabolic reprogramming of cell fate and establishing mTOR and nutrients (“Signal 4”) as key to immune function. His laboratory has also integrated systems immunology, especially high-throughput in vivo CRISPR screens, with immunity and metabolism and discovered novel actionable disease targets for cancer and autoimmunity. His work is highly regarded and widely referenced, as evidenced by his recognition as a Highly Cited Researcher in Immunology by Institute for Scientific Information (ISI/Clarivate) for six consecutive years.

Dr. Chi is an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and his recent honors and awards include R37 Merit Award from NIAID, R35 Outstanding Investigator Award from NCI, Dr. William E. Paul Distinguished Innovator Award from Lupus Research Alliance, and ICIS-BioLegend William E. Paul Award from International Cytokines & Interferon Society (ICIS). Dr. Chi is the Robert G. Webster Endowed Chair in Immunology, Co-Director for Center of Excellence for Pediatric Immuno-Oncology (CEPIO), Associate Director (Basic Research) for the Comprehensive Cancer Center, and was named Chair of the Department of Immunology in 2025.

Affiliations

• Center of Excellence for Pediatric Immuno-Oncology
• St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Department of Immunology