Yang Shi

Yang Shi discovered LSD1 (KDM1A), the first identified histone demethylase, fundamentally changing the understanding of epigenetic regulation by demonstrating that histone methylation is reversible. His laboratory showed that LSD1 demethylates H3K4me1/2 to repress gene transcription and plays essential roles in cancer stem cell maintenance, differentiation blockade, and immune evasion. He established that LSD1 inhibition in acute myeloid leukemia reactivates differentiation programs and enhances sensitivity to all-trans retinoic acid. His discovery catalyzed the development of LSD1 inhibitors including iadademstat now in clinical trials for AML and small cell lung cancer.