Dr. Winson Ho

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Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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23 May 2023 in Cancer Research

Journal Article

PP2Ac Deficiency Enhances Tumor Immunogenicity by Activating STING–Type I Interferon Signaling in Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an immunologically “cold” tumor that does not respond to current immunotherapy. Here, we demonstrate a fundamental role for the α-isoform of the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase-2A (PP2Ac) in regulating glioma immunogenicity. Genetic ablation of PP2Ac in glioma cells enhanced double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) production and cGAS–type I IFN signaling, MHC-I expression, and tumor mutational burden. In coculture experiments, PP2Ac deficiency in glioma cells promoted dendritic cell (DC) cross-presentation and clonal expansion of CD8+ T cells. In vivo, PP2Ac depletion sensitized tumors to immune-checkpoint blockade and radiotherapy treatment. Single-cell analysis demonstrated that PP2Ac deficiency increased CD8+ T-cell, natural killer cell, and DC accumulation and reduced immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages. Furthermore, loss of PP2Ac increased IFN signaling in myeloid and tumor cells and reduced expression of a tumor gene signature associated with worse patient survival in The Cancer Genome Atlas. Collectively, this study establishes a novel role for PP2Ac in inhibiting dsDNA–cGAS–STING signaling to suppress antitumor immunity in glioma. Significance: PP2Ac deficiency promotes cGAS–STING signaling in glioma to induce a tumor-suppressive immune microenvironment, highlighting PP2Ac as a potential therapeutic target to enhance tumor immunogenicity and improve response to immunotherapy.

27 April 2020 in Journal of Neuro-Oncology

Journal Article

Inhibition of protein phosphatase-2A with LB-100 enhances antitumor immunity against glioblastoma

Dominic Maggio

Winson Ho

Rebecca Breese

Stuart Walbridge

Herui Wang

Zhengping Zhuang

3 May 2022 in Cancers

Journal Article

New Developments in the Pathogenesis, Therapeutic Targeting, and Treatment of Pediatric Medulloblastoma

Pediatric medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common pediatric brain tumor with varying prognoses depending on the distinct molecular subtype. The four consensus subgroups are WNT, Sonic hedgehog (SHH), Group 3, and Group 4, which underpin the current 2021 WHO classification of MB. While the field of knowledge for treating this disease has significantly advanced over the past decade, a deeper understanding is still required to improve the clinical outcomes for pediatric patients, who are often vulnerable in ways that adult patients are not. Here, we discuss how recent insights into the pathogenesis of pediatric medulloblastoma have directed current and future research. This review highlights new developments in understanding the four molecular subtypes’ pathophysiology, epigenetics, and therapeutic targeting. In addition, we provide a focused discussion of recent developments in imaging, and in the surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy of pediatric medulloblastoma. The article includes a brief explanation of healthcare costs associated with medulloblastoma treatment.

3 December 2024 in Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer

Journal Article

Co-evolution of glioma and immune microenvironment

Glioma evolution is governed by a multitude of dynamic interactions between tumor cells and heterogenous neighboring, non-cancerous cells. This complex ecosystem, termed the tumor microenvironment (TME), includes diverse immune cell types that have gained increasing attention for their critical and paradoxical roles in tumor control and tumorigenesis. Recent work has revealed that the cellular composition and functional state of immune cells in the TME can evolve extensively depending on the tumor stage and intrinsic features of surrounding glioma cells. Concurrently, adaptations to the glioma cellular phenotype, including activation of various cellular states, occur in the context of these immune cell alterations. In this review, we summarize important features of the immune TME that play key roles during each stage of glioma progression, from initiation to immune escape, invasion and recurrence. Understanding the complex interplay between tumor and immune cells is critical for the development of effective immunotherapies for glioma treatment.

11 January 2024 in Cancers

Journal Article

Glioma–Immune Cell Crosstalk in Tumor Progression

Glioma progression is a complex process controlled by molecular factors that coordinate the crosstalk between tumor cells and components of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Among these, immune cells play a critical role in cancer survival and progression. The complex interplay between cancer cells and the immune TME influences the outcome of immunotherapy and other anti-cancer therapies. Here, we present an updated view of the pro- and anti-tumor activities of the main myeloid and lymphocyte cell populations in the glioma TME. We review the underlying mechanisms involved in crosstalk between cancer cells and immune cells that enable gliomas to evade the immune system and co-opt these cells for tumor growth. Lastly, we discuss the current and experimental therapeutic options being developed to revert the immunosuppressive activity of the glioma TME. Knowledge of the complex interplay that elapses between tumor and immune cells may help develop new combination treatments able to overcome tumor immune evasion mechanisms and enhance response to immunotherapies.

1 July 2020

Journal Article

MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy using the Visualase system and Navigus frameless stereotaxy in an infant: technical case report

Jonathan J. Lee

Dave Clarke

Eric Hoverson

Elizabeth C. Tyler-Kabara

Winson Ho

About Me

Winson S. Ho is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery and a pediatric neurosurgeon at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. He received his M.D. from Yale University School of Medicine in 2011 and completed his residency in the joint neurosurgery program of the University of Virginia and the National Institutes of Health, where he served as a clinical and research fellow at the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in the Surgical Neurology Branch. Following his residency, he completed a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Intermountain Primary Children’s Medical Center at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Before joining UCSF, he was an Assistant Professor at Dell Medical School UT Austin (2019–2022). He specializes in the neurosurgical care of children with brain tumors, epilepsy, and trauma. His research focuses on developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of brain tumors, with a particular interest in studying the role of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in modulating anti-tumor immunity and translating the preclinical work to novel therapeutics for pediatric brain tumors. His previous research has identified that PP2A regulates immune suppression in T cells in multiple tumor models, including brain tumors. He received the NIH/NINDS Neurosurgeon Research Career Development Program K12 Award in 2019 and the Pediatric Section Research Award from the AANS/CNS Joint Section in 2020.

Dr. Winson Ho

Dr. Winson Ho

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About Me