Siyan “Stewart” Cao, MD, PhD

Siyan “Stewart” Cao, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

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Education

  • Fellowship: Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (2022)
  • Residency: University of California San Francisco, CA (2019)
  • MD: Columbia University, New York, NY (2016)
  • PhD: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (2013)

Biography

Dr. Cao joined the faculty of Division of Gastroenterology at Washington University in July 2022. Dr. Cao was born in Chengdu in Southwestern China. After college at Zhejiang University, China, Dr. Cao entered the PhD program in Biochemistry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He then moved to New York where he obtained MD at Columbia University. Afterwards, he completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of California San Francisco and gastroenterology fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Cao’s research interests are in the mucosal immunity and precision medicine in inflammatory bowel disease. His clinical interests include colon cancer screening, gastrointestinal bleeding, microscopic colitis, dysphagia and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Research Interests

I am broadly interested in disease-relevant cellular and tissue signaling pathways in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) using molecular and cell biology, multi-omics technologies (e.g., single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, whole-genome/exome sequencing, metagenomics), murine models, and human tissues. We currently have four major focuses: 1) Innate lymphoid cells in murine IBD; 2) Innate immune mechanisms in perianal and fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease; 3) Multi-omics analyses of IBD-related complications, including inflammatory pouch conditions, perianal fistulizing Crohn’s disease, and microscopic colitis; 4) Biomarker discovery for IBD therapies (e.g., anti-IL-23s and JAK inhibitors) and diagnosis (e.g., fibrostenotic/stricturing Crohn’s disease). My laboratory is supported by the NIH/NIDDK, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, American Gastroenterological Association, Doris Duke Foundation, and Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences. I serve on external committees including the National Scientific Advisory Committee of Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

Research Publications

Selected Publications

  • Siyan Cao*#, Khai Nguyen*, Kaiming Ma, Xiaotang Du, Xiuli Liu, Alina Ulezko Antonova, Richard P. Rood, Anas Gremida, Chien-Huan Chen, Alexandra Gutierrez, Deborah C. Rubin, Martin H. Gregory, Mate Gergely, Rodney D. Newberry, Guadalupe Oliva Escudero, Katherine Huang, Natalia Jaeger, Marina Cella, Nicholas O. Davidson, Matthew A. Ciorba, Parakkal Deepak, Marco Colonna#. Mucosal Single-Cell Profiling of Crohn’s-Like Disease of the Pouch Reveals Unique Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Targets. Gastroenterology. In press. *Co-first author; #Co-senior author
  • Siyan Cao, Jose L. Fachi, Alina Ulezko Antonova, Qianli Wang, Zhangying Cai, Randal J. Kaufman, Matthew A. Ciorba, Parakkal Deepak, Marco Colonna. IRE1a-XBP1 sustains cytokine responses of group 3 innate lymphoid cells in inflammatory bowel disease. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2024 May 9:e174198.
  • Siyan Cao, Parakkal Deepak, Marco Colonna. Pathogenesis of Perianal Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease: current knowledge, gaps in understanding and future research directions. Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis. 2023 Jun 16;17(6):1010-1022.
  • Shoutang Wang, Raki Sudan, Vincent Peng, Yingyue Zhou, Siling Du, Carla M Yuede, Tingting Lei, Jinchao Hou, Zhangying Cai, Marina Cella, Khai Nguyen, Pietro L Poliani, Wandy L Beatty, Yun Chen, Siyan Cao, Kent Lin, Cecilia Rodrigues, Ali H Ellebedy, Susan Gilfillan, Gordon D Brown, David M Holtzman, Simone Brioschi, Marco Colonna. Cell. 2022:185 (22), 4153-4169. e19. 
  • Vincent Peng*, Siyan Cao*, Tihana Trsan, Jennifer K Bando, Julian Avila-Pacheco, John L Cleveland, Clary Clish, Ramnik J Xavier, Marco Colonna. Ornithine decarboxylase supports ILC3 responses in infectious and autoimmune colitis through positive regulation of IL-22 transcription. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. 2022: 119 (45), e2214900119. *Co-first author.
  • Ru-Xuan Chen, Siyan Cao, Li-Dan Zhao, Hua-Xia Yang. Obstructive uropathy associated with rheumatoid arthritis successfully treated with steroids and immunosuppressive therapy. Medicine. 2019: 98 (50).
  • Siyan Cao. Cellular stress responses and gut microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroenterology Research and Practice. 2018:7192646.
  • Siyan Cao. Epithelial ER stress in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2016: 22 (4), 984-993.
  • Siyan Cao, Katherine L Luo, Lynn Shi. Endoplasmic reticulum stress interacts with inflammation in human diseases. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 2016: 231 (2), 288-294.
  • Katherine Luo, Siyan Cao. Endoplasmic reticulum stress in intestinal epithelial cell function and inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroenterology Research and Practice 2015: 328791.
  • Siyan Cao. Endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response in inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2015: 21 (3), 636-644.
  • Siyan Cao, Randal J Kaufman. Endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress in cell fate decision and human disease. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. 2014: 21 (3), 396-413.
  • Siyan Cao, Miao Wang, Jane C Harrington, Brandy-Mengchieh Chuang, Lars Eckmann, Randal J Kaufman. Phosphorylation of eIF2α is dispensable for differentiation but required at a posttranscriptional level for Paneth cell function and intestinal homeostasis in mice. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2014: 20 (4), 712-722.
  • Siyan Cao, Ellen M Zimmermann, Brandy-Mengchieh Chuang, Benbo Song, Anosike Nwokoye, J Erby Wilkinson, Kathryn A Eaton, Randal J Kaufman. The unfolded protein response and chemical chaperones reduce protein misfolding and colitis in mice. Gastroenterology. 2013: 144 (5), 989-1000. e6.
  • Siyan Cao, Randal J Kaufman. Targeting endoplasmic reticulum stress in metabolic disease. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets. 2013: 17 (4), 437-448.
  • Siyan Cao, Randal J Kaufman. PKR in DSS-induced colitis: a matter of genetic background and maternal microflora? Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2013: 19 (3), E49-E50.
  • Justin Hassler, Siyan Cao, Randal J Kaufman. IRE1, a double-edged sword in pre-miRNA slicing and cell death. Developmental Cell. 2012: 23 (5), 921-923.
  • Siyan Cao, Benbo Song, Randal J Kaufman. PKR protects colonic epithelium against colitis through the unfolded protein response and prosurvival signaling. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2012: 18 (9), 1735-1742.
  • Siyan Cao, Randal J Kaufman. Unfolded protein response. Current Biology. 2012: 22 (16), R622-R626.
  • Siyan Cao, Randal J Kaufman. iRhoms: ERADicating the messenger in growth control signaling. Developmental Cell. 2011: 20 (4), 414-416.
  • Randal J Kaufman, Siyan Cao. Inositol‐requiring 1/X‐box‐binding protein 1 is a regulatory hub that links endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis with innate immunity and metabolism. EMBO Molecular Medicine. 2010: 2 (6), 189-192.

Please click here for my NIH Bibliography.