Chao Xie’s previous research focused on cytoskeleton regulation and neural development in C. elegans. Currently a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Pengtao Liu’s lab, her research centers on tumorigenesis and cancer immunotherapy. Specifically, Chao is working to develop protocols for deriving natural killer (NK) cells and T cells from human expanded potential stem cells (hEPSCs)—which harbor expanded potency for both embryonic and extraembryonic cell lineages—for cell-based immunotherapies. Additionally, she is investigating the function of the p53 protein in hEPSC differentiation and proliferation to elucidate how p53 functions in normal development and how these mechanisms relate to its role in tumor suppression.