PAN Yan

Associate Professor

Email:  pannay26@hsc.pku.edu.cn

Research Interests and Brief Research Directions

My research focuses on the pharmacology of neoplasms and cancer cachexia, with an emphasis on elucidating the underlying immunologic and metabolic mechanisms. I am also engaged in the discovery of novel bioactive natural products and the investigation of their mechanisms in promoting the transdifferentiation of tumor cells into adipocyte-like phenotypes. With extensive expertise in pharmacology and drug target validation, I have led studies that integrate molecular profiling and functional assays. Recently, our team identified the circadian gene Timeless as a key driver of lung cancer development, progression, and drug resistance. We are comprehensively investigating its role in immune regulation and lipid metabolism.

Pharmacological Research on Neoplasms and Cancer Cachexia

Personal Profile

Yan is a Supervisor of Master degree students’ and Vice Dean of Department of Pharmacology. She received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the School of Basic Medical Sciences at Peking University in 2005. Yan has got research funding support from various prestigious sources, including projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation, the Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory programs under the Ministry of Education.

As a collaborative partner, she contributes to several major research initiatives, such as the Ministry of Science and Technology's Major New Drug Creation Program, Science and Technology Innovation 2030, International Key Cooperation Projects, and projects funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

To date, Yan has published research articles in renowned international journals including The FASEB Journal, European Journal of Pharmacology, and Molecular Pharmacology  et al .

Yan teaches pharmacology to both undergraduate and graduate students and has contributed to the compilation of pharmacology textbooks and monographs. Additionally, Yan serves as the Secretary-General of the Teaching and Popular Science Committee of the Chinese Pharmacological Society and as a Standing Committee Member of the Biochemical and Molecular Pharmacology Committee. She previously held the roles of Editor-in-Chief and Responsible Editor for Chinese Pharmacological Communications.

Yan is a recipient of the Servier Young Pharmacologist Award and the Outstanding Young Worker Award from the Chinese Pharmacological Society.

Education and Work Experience

1. 09/2002–07/2005, Peking University, Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Ph.D.

2. 08/2005–07/2015, Peking University, Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Assistant Professor

3. 08/2015–Present, Peking University, Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Associate Professor

Presided Research Projects

1. National Natural Science Foundation General Program:  The Immunosuppressive Role of Timeless in NSCLC and effects of OSU-2S , 01/2025–12/2028

2. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory Project:  Correlation Between Timeless Expression and Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Blockade in NSCLC Patients , 01/2025–12/2026

3. Peking University Project:  The Role and Mechanism of Timeless in Lung Cancer Development and Progression , 01/2021–12/2022

4. National Natural Science Foundation General Program: *dentification of Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor DOCK1 as a Therapeutic Target in EGFR-TKI Resistant NSCLC and Development of Its Inhibitors, 01/2018–12/2021

5. National Natural Science Foundation General Program:  The Role of Vimentin in LMWH-Induced Sensitization of Gefitinib-Resistant NSCLC and Related Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms , 01/2013–12/2016

6. National Natural Science Foundation Young Scientists Program:  The Function and Signaling Pathways of Vimentin in the Anti-Metastatic Effects of Low Molecular Weight Heparin , 01/2010–12/2012

7. Ministry of Education Start-Up Grant for Retired Scholars:  Mechanisms Underlying Low Molecular Weight Heparin’s Inhibition of Tumor Cell-Endothelial Cell Interactions , 01/2010–12/2011

Teaching Projects

1. 2021 Second Batch of Industry-Academia Collaborative Education Project (Project No. 202102111001)

2. 2021 Peking University Curriculum Cultivation Project

3. 2020 Peking University Health Science Center Education and Teaching Research Key Project (2020ZD04)

4. 2020 Peking University Spring Semester "Online Teaching" Outstanding Case Project

5. 2012 Peking University Health Science Center Education and Teaching Project

Representative Research Achievements

1. Dan Wang; Jing Zhang; Houqing Yin; Ribai Yan; Zequn Wang; Jinhai Deng; Gang Li; Yan Pan; The anti-tumor effects of cosmosiin through regulating AhR/CYP1A1-PPARγ in breast cancer,  FASEB Journal , 2024, 38(16): e70002-e70002

2. Houqing Yin; Zequn Wang; Dan Wang; Muhadaisi Nuer; Mengyuan Han; Peng Ren; Shanwu Ma; Chutong Lin; Jingjing Chen; Haocheng Xian; Dongmei Ai; Xuejun Li; Shaohua Ma; Zhiqiang Lin; Yan Pan; TIMELESS promotes the proliferation and migration of lung adenocarcinoma cells by activating EGFR through AMPK and SPHK1 regulation,  European Journal of Pharmacology , 2023, 955: 175883

3. Pan Y, Qi K, Fu J, Gao W, Li Z, Lin Z. Bioresponsive nanomaterials for drug delivery or controlled release.  Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology , 2023, 11:1165782.

4. Xian, Haocheng; Li, Yuan; Zou, Boliang; Chen, Yajuan; Yin, Houqing; Li, Xuejun; Pan, Yan; Identification of TIMELESS and RORA as key clock molecules of non-small cell lung cancer and the comprehensive analysis,  BMC Cancer , 2022, 22(1): 107

5. Pan Yan; Marhaba Abdureyim; Qing Yao; Xuejun Li; Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes in Endothelial Cells Following Tumor Cell Adhesion, and the Role of PRKAA2 and miR-124-3p,  Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology , 2021, 9: 604038