When he’s not taking photos, creating 3D-printed tchotchkes, or practicing amateur standup comedy, Ping Mu is most likely in his lab, trying to cure prostate cancer.
As a cancer researcher, Mu’s goals are both ambitious and humble:
He wants nothing less than to be Alfred to the frontline medical doctor’s Batman — by developing newer, better cancer treatments and getting them to patients as soon as possible. Not bad for a sickly, smalltown kid from northwestern China.
In the latest edition of Office Hours, a Q&A series that introduces new Yale faculty members to the broader community, Mu — an associate professor in urology at Yale School of Medicine and a member of the Yale Cancer Center — talks about his mentor, his guardian angel, and the way cancer cells commit “identity fraud.”
| Title | Associate Professor of Urology |
|---|---|
| Research Interest | Finding the mechanisms that cause resistance to cancer treatments |
| Prior Institution | UT (University of Texas) Southwest Medical Center |
| Started at Yale | Sept. 1, 2024 |
What is your research philosophy and your approach to solving challenging medical problems?
Ping Mu: As a medical scientist, the most important question I ask myself every day is: “What is the most pressing challenge in improving clinical outcomes for patients?” There are many, especially the relentless ability of cancer to develop resistance to current therapies.
Once we identify a problem, we must bravely develop hypotheses and test them carefully and rigorously, using the most cutting-edge technologies available. When we discover an answer in the lab, the next crucial step is translating that discovery back to clinical practice — whether through new therapies, novel drugs, biomarkers, or optimizing existing treatments — to improve outcomes for cancer patients.
Did you always know you wanted a career in medicine?
Mu: Yes. Since I was a little boy growing up in a small town in northwestern China near the border of Mongolia, I have always been drawn to medicine. I was frequently sick as a child, and my uncle, a physician, was my guardian angel. He inspired me to dream of becoming a doctor.
However, as I grew older, I realized a major problem — many physicians, like my uncle, are frontline fighters, but they often lack the necessary weapons to battle formidable enemies like cancer and Alzheimer’s. That was the moment I knew I wanted to become a scientist — someone who provides those weapons to our guardian angels, developing the latest breakthroughs to fight cancer. Just like Alfred Pennyworth to Batman.
What led you to focus on urology and cancer research?
Mu: I have had close family members and friends diagnosed with cancer, including my grandmother and uncle. Many of them, including some my age, have already passed away. I still vividly remember my first year as a graduate student at Weill [Medical College of Cornell University] when I read the inspiring story of how scientists developed one of the first-ever targeted cancer therapy, Gleevec, and how many lives have been saved by this silver bullet against cancer. One of the key scientists behind Gleevec was Dr. Charles Sawyers at Memorial Sloan Kettering [Cancer Center, in New York]. From that moment, I aspired to follow in his footsteps. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to join his lab, later establish my own lab in Texas, and now continue along this research path at Yale.
My uncle, who was diagnosed with stage four metastatic lung cancer 10 years ago, was among the first batch of patients to receive immunotherapy. He was saved — and he is still golfing today.
You have a wonderfully wide-ranging list of hobbies and a big sense of humor. Where does that come from?
Mu: I am actually a pretty funny guy. The life of a journeying scientist, the daily struggles of an immigrant trying to figure things out [and always being confused], and being a dad to two corgi girls and a human boy — all provide endless comedic material.
One of my strongest hobbies at the moment is 3D printing. It amazes me because it reminds me of science. Just like in research, you have to break — or “slice” — a big hypothesis into razor-thin layers. As each layer is printed from the bottom up, you can’t fully see the final outcome, except in your mind. But the moment the printing is complete, the answer stands there in front of everyone — and suddenly, everything makes sense!
What goals have you set for yourself in the next few years?
Mu: We have identified several new mechanisms by which cancers develop resistance to current therapies, including a process called lineage plasticity, or what I call “identity fraud.”
Cancer cells are incredibly clever and relentless — they can change their identity by mutating certain proteins, making it impossible for the original therapy to recognize and target them. Our goal is to uncover how they acquire this ability to change identity, develop novel drugs to reverse this process, and ultimately control these tumors to overcome therapy resistance.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Mu: Spend more time with the people you love. Life is like taking a train — you know when and where the journey starts, but no one knows when and where it will end. Enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way, even as you chase a dream that seems far, far away.
