Ping Wang, MD, is vice chairman for research in the department of surgery at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center. He is also professor of surgery and molecular medicine at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine and an investigator and director at the Laboratory of Surgical Research in The Feinstein Institute’s Center for Immunology and Inflammation.

Prior to joining the department of surgery at North Shore University Hospital, Dr. Wang held positions of associate professor in the department of surgery at Brown University School of Medicine and professor of surgery (with tenure), professor of pathology, physiology and biophysics at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

In 2002, Dr. Wang became professor of surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and chief of the division of surgical research at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Dr. Wang is a member of various societies, including American Physiological Society, Shock Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, Surgical Infection Society, Society for Leukocyte Biology, Association for Academic Surgery, American Heart Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science and NY Academy of Science.

Dr. Wang is also the editor-in-chief of International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. He serves as the editorial board member for: Shock, Int J Mol Med, Digestive Surgery, Frontiers of Medicine, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, American Journal of Translational Research, Hepatic Medicine, and International Journal of Burns and Trauma. He served as guest reviewer for: Am J Physiol, Am J Respir Crit Care Med, Arch Surg, Atherosclerosis, Biochim Biophys Acta, Cardiovasc Res, Crit Care Med, Free Radical Bio Med, Horm Metab Res, J Surg Res, Mol Cell Biochem, Nat Protoc, Hypertension, Peptides, Surg Infec, Life Sciences, J Hepatol, Physiol Genomics, Exp Biol Med, Front Biosci, J Leukoc Biol, J Endocrinol, Infect Immun, J Immunol, Infect Immun, J Pharmacol Exp Ther, Nat Protoc. Reviewer for: US Army Hemorrhage Control Research Program Review. He also was a member of various NIH Study Sections and VA Surgery Study Section.

In 1995, Dr. Wang received the NIH FIRST Award and has continually been funded by the NIH. The Laboratory of Surgical Research was originated in 2002 in the Department of Surgery. Since then, the lab has grown extensively and currently has about 20 team members ranging from associate investigator/professor to PhD students.

In addition, Dr. Wang is a mentor for junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students within his lab and for other individuals at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, as well as other institutions. A number of the scientists and postdoctoral fellows from the lab received awards such as the New Investigator Award, Annual Scientific Award and travel awards. Dr. Wang and colleagues publish about 20 articles per year in peer-reviewed journals.

Sepsis often occurs in many critical illnesses. Despite advances in the management of sepsis, a large number of patients die of the ensuing septic shock and multiple organ failure. Similarly, a large number of such patients die of circulatory collapse due to blood loss with progressive cell and organ damage. Dr. Wang’s long-term goal is to develop better therapies to prevent progression of these processes. Currently, he is focusing on a number of potential drug candidates and is in the preclinical stage to develop them as therapies for sepsis and other organ injuries, which include hemorrhagic shock, ischemia and reperfusion injury, radiation injury and focal cerebral ischemia (stroke).

Milk fat globule-EGF Factor 8 (MFG-E8) is a glycoprotein secreted by activated macrophages and immature dendritic cells and promotes the engulfment of apoptotic cells by working as a bridging molecule between those cells and phagocytes. Dr. Wang has shown that MFG-E8 is downregulated in sepsis and that the administration of recombinant MFG-E8 during sepsis provided beneficial effects, including attenuating pro-inflammatory response, increasing apoptotic cell clearance, and improving survival in sepsis. MFG-E8 treatment reduces acute lung injury caused by an intestinal ischemia and reperfusion injury model. Studies are being done to establish the efficacy and optimal dosage of human recombinant MFG-E8 in an attempt to develop this as a therapy for sepsis and other organ injury conditions.

Adrenomedullin (AM) is a potent vasoactive peptide. While AM is increased in sepsis and other injury conditions, AM is hyporesponsive due to the lack of its binding protein, AMBP-1. Dr. Wang has shown that treatment with AM/AMBP-1 is beneficial in sepsis, gut and renal and hepatic ischemia and reperfusion injuries, and cerebral ischemic rodent models. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacotoxicity studies are currently underway to develop AM/AMBP-1 as therapy for sepsis and other organ injuries.

Ghrelin, a novel stomach derived peptide, is reduced in sepsis and other injury conditions. The downregualtion of ghrelin activates sympathostimulatory nuclei in the brain, increasing NE release from the sympathetic nerve fibers in the gut, resulting in upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines and subsequent injuries to the liver and other organs (the brain-gut-liver axis paradigm). Dr. Wang’s results showed that ghrelin acts via the vagus nerve to downregulate proinflammatory responses in sepsis. He has also shown that treatment with ghrelin downregulates organ injury in renal ischemia reperfusion injury, radiation combined injury, and focal cerebral ischemia. Recently he has shown that ghrelin’s beneficial effect in renal ischemia and reperfusion injury and radiation combined injury, and focal cerebral ischemia is also mediated by the vagus nerve. Studies are ongoing to examine the beneficial effect of ghrelin in injury caused by radiation alone.

He has also identified a novel inflammatory mediator in hemorrhagic shock and the studies are underway to generate inhibitors of this molecule to be used in preclinical studies with hemorrhagic shock and other injury conditions.

Monowar Aziz, PhD
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Research: MFG-E8 Pathobiology
Email: maziz1@nshs.edu

Wenren (Wayne) Chaung, PhD
Research Scientist
Research: Inflammatory Mediators
Email: wchaung@nshs.edu

Cletus Cheyuo, MD
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Research: Stroke and Inflammation
Email: ccheyuo@nshs.edu

Lana M Corbo, MS
Research Assistant – Tech

Weifeng (David) Dong, MS
Senior Research Associate
Research: Animal Models
Email: wdong@nshs.edu

Matthew Giangola, MD
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

Xiaoling Qiang, MD, PhD
Research Scientist
Research: Novel Pro-Inflammatory Mediators
Email: xqiang@nshs.edu

Madeline Ann Quinn
Administrative Manager
Research: Laboratory/Administrative Manager
Email: maquinn@nshs.edu

Zhimin (Wendy) Wang, MD
Research Associate
Research: Experimental Studies on Inflammation
Email: zwang@nshs.edu

Weng-Lang Yang, PhD
Associate Investigator
Research: Inflammation and Signaling Pathways
Email: wlyang@nshs.edu

Fangming Zhang, MD, PhD
Research Scientist
Research: Sepsis and Other Inflammatory Diseases
Email: fzhang1@nshs.edu

Mian Zhou, MD
Senior Research Scientist
Research: Sepsis, Hemorrhage, Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury
Email: mzhou@nshs.edu

Adam Khader, MD
Post Doctoral Research Fellow

Michael Kuncewitch, MD
Post Doctoral Research Fellow
2013 RISE competition winner

Shingo Matsuo, MD
Post Doctoral Research Trainee

Salil R. Rajayer, MD
Post Doctoral Research Trainee

Asha Varghese, PhD
Associate Investigator

Megan Woods
Graduate Student

Changwei Medical College, China
Degree: MD
1982
Field of Study: Medicine

Third Medical University, China
Degree: MS
1985
Field of Study: Surgery

University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Degree: Postdoctoral
1988
Field of Study: Pharmacology

Brown University, Providence, RI
Degree: MA
1998
Field of Study: Honorary MA

1995-2000 NIH FIRST Award (R29)
1996-2001 NIH Independent Scientist Award (K02)
1998 Master of Arts Degree ad eundem, Brown University
2002 Annual Scientific Award, Society of Critical Care Medicine
2011 Annual Scientific Award, Society of Critical Care Medicine

1. Cui T, Miksa M, Wu R, Komura H, Zhou M, Dong W, Wang Z, Higuchi S, Chaung W, Blau S, Marini CP, Ravikumar TS, Wang P: “Milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8 attenuates acute lung injury in mice after intestinal ischemia and reperfusion.” Am J Respir Crit Care Med 181:238-246, 2010 (featured on the cover). (PMC2817813)
2. Zhang F, Wu R, Qiang X, Zhou M, Wang P: “Antagonism of 2A-adrenoceptor: a novel approach to inhibit inflammatory responses in sepsis.” J Mol Med 88:289-296, 2010. (PMC2837104)
3. Yang J, Wu R, Zhou M, Wang P: “Human adrenomedullin and its binding protein ameliorate sepsis- induced organ injury and mortality in jaundiced rats.” Peptides 31:872-877, 2010. (PMC2854200)
4. Leong J, Zhou M, Jacob A, Wang P: “Aging-related hyperinflammation in endotoxemia is mediated by the α2A-adrenoceptor and CD14/TLR4 pathways.” Life Sci 86:740-746, 2010. (PMC2859120)
5. Wu R, Chaung WW, Zhou M, Ji Y, Dong W, Wang Z, Qiang X, Wang P: “Milk fat globule EGF factor 8 attenuates sepsis-induced apoptosis and organ injury in alcohol-intoxicated rats.” Alcohol Clin Exp Res 34:1625-1633, 2010. (PMC2929314)
6. Shah KG, Jacob A, Rajan D, Wu R, Molmenti EP, Nicastro J, Coppa GF, Wang P: “Resuscitation of uncontrolled traumatic hemorrhage induced by severe liver injury: the use of human adrenomedullin and adrenomedullin binding protein-1.” J Trauma 69:1415-1422, 2010. (PMC3139227)
7. Jacob A, Shah KG, Wu R, Wang P: “Ghrelin as a novel therapy for radiation combined injury.” Mol Med 16:137-143, 2010. (PMC2810163)
8. Cheyuo C, Wu R, Zhou M, Jacob A, Coppa G, Wang P: “Ghrelin suppresses inflammation and neuronal nitric oxide synthase in focal cerebral ischemia via the vagus nerve.” Shock 35:258-265, 2011.
9. Ajakaiye MA, Jacob A, Wu R, Zhou M, Ji Y, Dong W, Wang Z, Qiang X, Chaung WW, Nicastro J, Coppa GF, Wang P: “Upregulation of Kupffer cell α2A-adrenoceptors and downregulation of MKP-1 mediate hepatic injury in chronic alcohol exposure.” Biochem Biophys Res Commun 409:406-411, 2011. (PMC3133744)
10. Matsuda A, Wu R, Jacob A, Komura H, Zhou M, Wang Z, Aziz MM, Wang P: “Protective effect of milk fat globule epidermal growth factor-factor VIII after renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice (Feature Article).” Crit Care Med 39-2039-2047, 2011. (PMC3158289)

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