1. 2023.10-Present, Associate Researcher, Yu Haijun Research Group, Center for Pharmaceutical Formulations, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2. 2021.07-2023.09, Postdoctoral Researcher, Yu Haijun Research Group, Center for Pharmaceutical Formulations, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences

With smart drug delivery and precision regulation as the technical theme, we focuses on major unmet clinical needs in refractory malignancies and neurodegenerative diseases. Her major research directions include:

1. Proteostasis regulation and disease intervention: Investigating the role of proteostasis imbalance in disease and developing technologies for protein degradation, protein-function regulation, and targeted delivery.
2. Immune microenvironment regulation and therapeutic-resistance intervention: Focusing on therapy stress-driven immune evasion and therapeutic resistance in tumors, elucidating mechanisms of immune microenvironment regulation, and developing targeted intervention strategies.
3. Neuromodulatory mechanisms and brain-disease intervention: Studying neuromodulation and neuro-immune interactions in the development and progression of tumors and brain diseases, and exploring precision intervention strategies.
4. Molecular probes and precision theranostics: Developing disease-associated molecular probes and smart theranostic platforms for dynamic molecular detection, early disease recognition, and precision diagnosis and therapy.

1. 2016.09-2021.06, Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University
2. 2012.09-2016.06, B.Sc. in Applied Chemistry, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology

   

1. Jiaxing Pan#; Shun Zhang#; Yuchentian Xu#; Zhuoliang Li; Meiqin Luo; Zirui Peng; Aojia Jin; Bo Hou; Xiji Qin; Xingang Cui; Bruno G. De Geest; Yuanwen Chen; Zhiai Xu*; Haijun Yu*; Yi Lai*. A senescent tumor cell-derived nanovesicle directly primes splenic T cells to potentiate cancer radiotherapy. Cell Reports Medicine, 2026, 7: 10270. (Last corresponding author)
2. Yu Guo#; Jiaxing Pan#; Junjue Wang; Huijuan Zhang; Wenfang Yang; Fangmin Chen; Bowen Yin; Xiran Cai; Wei Tao; Twan Lammers; Yi Lai*; Haijun Yu*; Xiuli Hu*; Zhiai Xu*. Engineering of Sono-Activatable Immunogels for Immunometabolism Disorder Normalization Therapy of Breast Cancer. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2025, 147(26): 22412-22426. (Co-corresponding author)
3. Jiaxing Pan#; Yi Lai#,*; Shunan Zhang; Huijuan Zhang; Yiming Shan; Lujia Huang; Feng Wang; Haijun Yu*; Leiming Xu*; Zhiai Xu*. Self-Adaptive Nanoregulator to Mitigate Dynamic Immune Evasion of Pancreatic Cancer. Advanced Materials, 2023, 35(47): 2305798. (Co-first author, co-corresponding author)
4. Yun Zhu#; Shunan Zhang#; Yi Lai*; Jiaxing Pan; Fangmin Chen; Tingting Wang; Fengyang Wang; Zhiai Xu; Wenjun Yang*; Haijun Yu*. Self-Cooperative Prodrug Nanovesicles Migrate Immune Evasion to Potentiate Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer. Advanced Science, 2022, 9(36): 2203263. (Co-corresponding author)
5. Huijuan Zhang#; Jiaxing Pan#; Tingting Wang; Yi Lai*; Xiaoying Liu; Fangmin Chen; Leiming Xu; Xiongwei Qu*; Xiuli Hu*; Haijun Yu*. Sequentially Activatable Polypeptide Nanoparticles for Combinatory Photodynamic Chemotherapy of Breast Cancer. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2022, 14(35): 39787-39798. (Co-corresponding author)
6. Ping Zhang#; Jiaxing Pan#; Shutong Lin#; Bo Peng; Caiyan An; Junjing Zhang; Leiming Xu; Yi Lai*; Haijun Yu*; Zhiai Xu*. Smart drug delivery platforms reprogramming cancer immune cycle to mitigate immune resistance of pancreatic tumors. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 2025, 224: 115620. (Co-corresponding author)
7. Yi Lai#; Shunan Zhang#; Jiaxing Pan#; Wenyue Lan; Min Li; Zifan Zhu; Leimin Xu; Bruno G. De Geest; Twan Lammers; Wen Zhang; Haijun Yu*; Zhiai Xu*; POLY-Senolytic Nanoplatform for Tumor-Specific Eradication of Senescent Tumor Cells and Mitigation of Radiotherapy-Induced Immune Resistance of Cancer, Nature Communication, 2026, in press (Co-first author)
8. Yi Lai#; Yijing Dang#; Fenglin Li; Chunyong Ding; Haijun Yu; Wen Zhang*; Zhiai Xu*. Reactive Glycolysis Metabolite-Activatable Nanotheranostics for NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Phototherapy of Cancer. Advanced Functional Materials, 2022, 32(23): 2200016. (Co-first author)
9. Yi Lai; Yingying Zhu; Zhiai Xu*; Xianli Hu; Madiha Saeed; Haijun Yu; Xingxing Chen; Jun Liu; Wen Zhang*. Engineering Versatile Nanoparticles for Near-Infrared Light-Tunable Drug Release and Photothermal Degradation of Amyloid beta. Advanced Functional Materials, 2020, 30(11): 1908473. (First author)
10. Yi Lai; Yijing Dang; Qian Sun; Jiaxing Pan; Haijun Yu; Wen Zhang*; Zhiai Xu*. Design of an activatable NIR-II nanoprobe for the in vivo elucidation of Alzheimer's disease-related variations in methylglyoxal concentrations. Chemical Science, 2022, 13(42): 12511-12518. (First author)
11. Yi Lai; Zhiai Xu; Xianli Hu; Li Lei; Lingling Li; Liang Dong; Haijun Yu; Wen Zhang*. Peptide Nanotube-Templated Biomineralization of Cu2-xS Nanoparticles for Combination Treatment of Metastatic Tumor. Small, 2019, 15(49): 1904397. (First author)
12. Shunan Zhang#; Yi Lai#; Jiaxing Pan#; Madiha Saeed; Shiqin Li; Huiling Zhou; Xingyu Jiang; Jing Gao; Yun Zhu; Haijun Yu*; Wen Zhang*; Zhiai Xu*. PROTAC Prodrug-Integrated Nanosensitizer for Potentiating Radiation Therapy of Cancer. Advanced Materials, 2024, 36(23): 2314132. (Co-first author)
13. Xingyu Jiang#; Yi Lai#; Wenzheng Xia#; Wenfang Yang; Junjue Wang; Jiaxing Pan; Qian Zhao; Feng Zhou; Shiqin Li; Shunan Zhang; Jing Gao; Yinyan Wang; Tao Zan; Zhi Ping Xu; Haijun Yu; Zhiai Xu*. Self-Oxygenating PROTAC Microneedle for Spatiotemporally-Confined Protein Degradation and Enhanced Glioblastoma Therapy. Advanced Materials, 2025, 37(13): 2411869. (Co-first author)
14. Mengzhen Wang#; Yi Lai#; Hanxue Meng; Aojia Jin; Ping Zhang; Yinuo Shen; Shutong Lin; Haijun Yu; Wujun Xu; Vesa-Pekka Lehto; Wen Zhang*; Zhiai Xu*. Brain-Targeting Metal-Organic Framework Nanoplatform Reprogramming Ferroptosis Sensitivity of Glioblastoma. ACS Nano, 2026, 20(3): 2856-2871. (Co-first author)
15. Fenglin Li#; Yi Lai#; Jiayi Ye#; Madiha Saeed; Yijing Dang; Zhifeng Zou; Fangmin Chen; Wen Zhang; Zhiai Xu*. Dual-targeting prodrug nanotheranostics for NIR-II fluorescence imaging-guided photo-immunotherapy of glioblastoma. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, 2022, 12(9): 3486-3497. (Co-first author)

Principal Investigator:

1. Glycoengineered protein-degradation platform for region-selective regulation of tau pathology and precision therapy of Alzheimer's disease (National Natural Science Foundation of China, General Program, 32571707, 2026.01-2029.12, RMB 0.50 million, Principal Investigator, ongoing)

2. In situ self-assembling peptide-drug conjugates targeting cancer-associated fibroblasts to overcome immune tolerance in pancreatic cancer (National Natural Science Foundation of China, Young Scientists Fund, Category C, 82203041, 2023.01-2025.12, RMB 0.30 million, Principal Investigator, completed)

3. Peptide-drug conjugates for mitigating tumor immune tolerance (2022 Postdoctoral Innovation Support Funding, BX20220320, 2022.07-2023.09, RMB 0.63 million, Principal Investigator, completed)

4. Glycolysis-activated bioorthogonal magnetic nanoparticles for dual-modal imaging-guided multi-target precision diagnosis and therapy of Alzheimer's disease (China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, 70th Batch General Program First-Class Funding, 2021M700157, 2021.12-2023.09, RMB 0.12 million, Principal Investigator, completed)

5. Tumor metabolism-activated bioorthogonal prodrug for precision diagnosis and therapy of glioma (Shanghai Super Postdoc Incentive Program, 2021424, 2021.12-2023.11, RMB 0.30 million, Principal Investigator, completed)

Key Contributor:

1. Systematic mechanisms and intervention R&D of co-evolution between the nervous system and common malignant tumors (National Science and Technology Major Project for Prevention and Treatment of Cancer, Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular, Respiratory, and Metabolic Diseases, 2026ZD0552700, 2026.03-2030.02, RMB 7.8064 million, key contributor, ongoing)

2. Spleen-targeted neoantigen vaccine for precision immunotherapy of liver cancer (National Natural Science Foundation of China, Joint Fund, U22A20328, 2023.01-2026.12, RMB 2.55 million, key contributor, ongoing)

3. Tumor microenvironment-responsive protein degrader-membrane-fixing chimera conjugated prodrug for senescent cell clearance and enhanced radioimmunotherapy (National Natural Science Foundation of China, International/Regional Cooperation and Exchange Program, W2412035, 2025.01-2027.12, RMB 2.00 million, key contributor, ongoing)

4. Breakthrough DNA vaccine design, delivery technologies, immunological mechanisms, and applications (National Key R&D Program of China, 2021YFC2302501, 2022.01-2026.12, RMB 5.808 million, key contributor, ongoing)

1. 2022, Chinese Academy of Sciences Special Research Assistant Program (1/1)
2. 2022, Sanofi Excellent Young Investigator Award (1/1)
3. 2025, Shanghai Pharmaceutical Science and Technology Award, Second Prize (3/10)