Hongbo Chi
Showed that regulatory T cells need mTORC1 signalling to fuel their suppressive function, and studies how mTOR-driven metabolism steers T-cell fate
Chair, Department of Immunology, St. Jude; Robert G. Webster Endowed Chair in Immunology · PhD, University of Rochester
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Department of Immunology (Memphis, Tennessee, USA) ↗ Lab lineagetrained under Richard A. Flavell → ORCID0000-0002-9997-2496 ↗
Portrait: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
His 2012 review (CHI2012) became a foundational reference for immunometabolism. In 2013 (ZEN2013), with Hu Zeng, showed mTORC1 (via Raptor) is required for Tregs to integrate metabolic cues and mature into suppressive cells — overturning the assumption Tregs are simply low-mTOR cells.
Chairs St. Jude Immunology, co-directs the Center of Excellence for Pediatric Immuno-Oncology. NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (2021), AAAS Fellow (2023), ICIS-BioLegend William E. Paul Award (2025), elected to National Academy of Sciences (2026).
Milestones in the Atlas
A selection, not a full bibliography: only papers that meet the Atlas inclusion criteria.
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | A | The transcription factor Myc controls metabolic reprogramming upon T lymphocyte activation WAN2011 The transcription factor Myc drives metabolic reprogramming of activated T cells downstream of mTOR. |
| 2012 | R | Regulation and function of mTOR signalling in T cell fate decisions CHI2012 Foundational review synthesizing how mTOR governs T-cell fate decisions. |
| 2013 | A | mTORC1 couples immune signals and metabolic programming to establish T(reg)-cell function ZEN2013 mTORC1 (via Raptor) required for Tregs to integrate metabolic signals and establish suppressive function. |
Co-authors in the Atlas 3
People with a profile here who share at least one study with Hongbo Chi.
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- Douglas R. Green Cell death researcher known for work on apoptosis and the immune system, whose group also showed that the transcription factor Myc drives the metabolic switch of activated T cells.
- Hu Zeng Immunologist at Mayo Clinic who studies how mTOR signalling and cell metabolism shape T cells in autoimmunity, and who showed as a postdoc that regulatory T cells need mTORC1 to work
- Ruoning Wang Showed as first author, in Douglas Green's lab, that the transcription factor Myc drives the metabolic switch of activated T cells, and now leads an immunometabolism lab
Every researcher with a profile →
On the programme
Meetings in the Atlas calendar where Hongbo Chi is listed among the speakers or organisers.
- upcoming Keystone Symposia: Tumor and Host Metabolism – Integrating Molecular, Cellular, and Systemic Interactions 2027 ↗ 7–10 Mar 2027 ·
Princeton, NJ, USA · ★★ Add to calendar:
Google ·
Apple / Outlook - past 7th European Meeting on AMPK & Nutrient-Sensing Pathways 2026 ↗ 27–29 Sep 2026 ·
Lunteren, Netherlands · ★★
All meetings in the calendar →
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