Dr. Sun Yang

Assistant Professor

School of Pharmacy

Expertise: Melanoma; Translational Research; Novel Anti-Cancer Drug Development; Oncology; Pediatric Pharmacy; Medication Safety

Office Location: Rinker Health Science Campus 297Y

Phone: 714-516-5418

Email: syang@chapman.edu

Scholarly Works:: Digital Commons

Education:: Shandong University, Bachelor of Pharmacy
Shandong University, Master of Science

Biography

Dr. Yang received her Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Shandong Medical University School of Pharmacy in 1995, from where she went on to receive her Master of Medicine degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1998. These initial experiences spurred her interest in bench-to-bedside translational studies. Upon graduation as an honor student, she continued to study molecular pharmacology in the graduate school of Peking Union Medical College, where she received her Ph.D degree in Pharmacology in 2001. Right after graduation, she joined University of California Irvine (UCI) Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center after receiving a Fellowship Award, where she gained a deep and comprehensive knowledge of cancer biology, molecular biochemistry, and redox regulation, and have been extensively involved in chemoprevention and chemotherapy translations studies. She completed a general practice pharmacy residency as well as an additional 1-year specialty practice residency in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) with a research emphasis in Pediatric Oncology. Prior to joining CUSP, Dr. Yang was also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UCI for more than 4 years.

Dr. Yang is an author of 17 peer-reviewed publications (7 first author papers and 1 corresponding author paper) with 1 US patent. Her recent study on APE/Ref-1 has been funded with a Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08) by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Research Interests

The aberrant pathways in cancer cells may be utilized for developing targeted therapeutics. Dr. Yang’s research is focused on identifying effective novel targets and approaches for melanoma therapy and prevention, especially through the extensive mechanistic studies of abnormal reducing-oxidative (redox)-regulated signal pathways in melanoma compared to normal melanocytes. Her current ongoing projects include developing small molecules targeting APE/Ref-1- and nNOS-mediated signal pathways and the lead compounds exhibited promising anti-melanoma activities both in vitro and in vivo.

In addition, Dr. Yang’s group is also interested in translational research in pediatric pharmacology focusing on the mechanisms of drug action, clinical response, and medication safety in children at various development stages.

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications: Alhazmi R, Tong S, Darwish S, Khanjani E, Khungar B, Chawla S, Zheng Z, Chamberlin R, Parang K, Yang S. Bis-Cinnamamide Derivatives as APE/Ref-1 Inhibitors for the Treatment of Human Melanoma. Molecules. 2022; 27(9):2672. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27092672; Yamaki J, Chawla S, Tong S, Lozada KA, Yang S. Iron Effects on Clostridioides difficile Toxin Production and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities. Antibiotics. 2022; 11(5):537. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11050537; Tong S, Cinelli MA, El-Sayed NS, Huang H, Patel A, Silverman RB, Yang S. Inhibition of interferon-gamma-stimulated melanoma progression by targeting neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Sci Rep 12, 1701 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05394-6; Yang S, Patel P, Corcoran A, Dobberpuhl E, Isidro S, Le D, Klassen A, Rho J, Tran D, Beuttler R, Nassr NN, Gruenberg K, Wong SF. Gaps in Patient Education on Safe Handling and Disposal of Oral Chemotherapy Drugs: A Pilot Prospective Cohort Survey Study. Journal of Contemporary Pharmacy Practice 1 March 2022; 70 (2): 23–33. doi: https://doi.org/10.37901/jcphp21-00009; Phan MT, Tomaszewski DM, Arbuckle C, Yang S, Jenkins B, Fortier MA, Heyming T, Linstead E, Donaldson C, Kain Z. Evaluating the 0–10 Point Pain Scale on Adolescent Opioid Use in US Emergency Departments. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2022; 11(1):38. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11010038; Tong S, Darwish S, Ariani HHN, Lozada KA, Salehi D, Cinelli MA, Silverman RB, Kaur K, Yang S. A Small Peptide Increases Drug Delivery in Human Melanoma Cells. Pharmaceutics. 2022; 14(5):1036. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14051036; United States patent: 11,439,632 (Sept.13, 2022): Richard B. Silverman, and Sun Yang. Use of neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitors for immunotherapy in melanoma patients.; Phan MT, Wong C, Tomaszewski DM, Kain ZN, Jenkins B, Donaldson C, Fortier M, Yang S. Evaluating Opioid Dispensing Rates among Pediatrics and Young Adults based on CURES Data Reporting in California from 2015–2019. Journal of Contemporary Pharmacy Practice. 2021 March; 67(4):23. doi: https://doi.org/10.37901/jcphp20-00012.; Phan, M., Chavan, R., Beuttler, R., Benipayo, N., Magedman, G., Buchbinder, D., Tomaszewski, D. and Yang, S. (2021), Evaluating risk factors for acute graft versus host disease in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients receiving tacrolimus. Clin Transl Sci, 14: 1303-1313. https://doi.org/10.1111/cts.12982; Donaldson CD, Kain ZN, Ehwerhemuepha L, Fortier MA, Phan MT, Tomaszewski DM, Yang S, Feaster W, Jenkins BN. Anxiety and Mood Disorders Impacting Physician Opioid Prescribing in the Pediatric Hospital Setting. J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2021 Feb 9. doi: 10.1007/s10880-021-09763-7. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33564959.; Saghaeidehkordi A, Chen S, Yang S, Kaur K. Evaluation of a Keratin 1 Targeting Peptide-Doxorubicin Conjugate in a Mouse Model of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Pharmaceutics. 2021; 13(5):661. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13050661; Phan MT, Tomaszewski DM*, Arbuckle C, Yang S, Donaldson C, Fortier M, Jenkins B, Linstead E, and Kain Z. Racial and ethnic disparities in opioid use for adolescents at US emergency departments. BMC Pediatr 21, 252 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-021-02715-y; Fortier, MA, Yang, S, Phan, MT, Tomaszewski, DM, Jenkins, BN, Kain, ZN. Children's cancer pain in a world of the opioid epidemic: challenges and opportunities. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2020; 67:e28124. https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.28124; Donaldson CD, Jenkins BN, Fortier MA, Phan MT, Tomaszewski DM, Yang S, Kain ZN. Parent responses to pediatric pain: The differential effects of ethnicity on opioid consumption. J Psychosom Res. 2020 Sep 16;138:110251. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110251. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32979697.; Ehwerhemuepha L, Donaldson CD, Kain ZN, Luong V, Fortier MA, Feaster W, Weiss M, Tomaszewski D, Yang S, Phan M, Jenkins BN. Race, Ethnicity, and Insurance: the Association with Opioid Use in a Pediatric Hospital Setting. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2020 Sep 30. doi: 10.1007/s40615-020-00882-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33000430.; Silverman RB, and Yang S. Use of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors for Immunotherapy in Melanoma Patients (16/703,009). Application number: 16/703,009. Publication date: June 11, 2020.; Michael Phan, Luma Munjy, Nicole Benipayo, Jeff Goad, Sun Yang. New vaccines in the pipeline 2019. Pharmacy Times. August 2019 (Cover story); Darwish S, Sadeghiani N, Fong S, Mozaffari S, Hamidi P, Withana T, Yang S, Tiwari R, Parang K. Synthesis and antiproliferative activities of doxorubicin thiol conjugates and doxorubicin-SS-cyclic peptide. Eur J Med Chem. 2019 Jan 1;161:594-606.; Tomaszewski DM, Arbuckle C, Yang S, Linstead E. Trends in Opioid Use in Pediatric Patients in US Emergency Departments From 2006 to 2015. JAMA Netw Open. 2018 Dec 7;1(8):e186161.; U.S. Provisional patent: 62/775,534 (12/05/2018): Richard B. Silverman, and Sun Yang. Use of neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitors for immunotherapy in melanoma patients.; Fong S, Shevtsev S, Yang S. The role of neuronal nitric oxide synthase ((nNOS) in interferon-gamma-induced melanoma progression. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2017;30:e110-111.; Phan M, Huynh T, Haroutunyan A, Shin E, Corcoran A, Patel P, Yang S, Wong SF. Oral chemotherapy drugs require safe handling, disposal. California Board of Pharmacy. The Script. 2017 October 17:14-15.; Yang, S., Lam, J., Sims, N., Lyren, A., Broselow J., and Jordan., R. Actionable Patient Safety Solution (APSS) #3D: Pediatric Adverse Drug Events. February, 2017.; Specific nNOS inhibitors for the therapy and prevention of human melanoma. Patent: US9090589B2; Huang H, Li H, Yang S, Martasek P, Roman LJ, Meyskens FL, Poulos TL, and Silverman RB. Potent, selective, and in vivo active double-headed Thiophene-2-carboximidamide inhibitors of neuronal nitric oxide synthase. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2014 Feb 13; 57(3): 686-700.; Yang Z, Yang S, Misner B, Liu F, and Meyskens FL. Role of APE/Ref-1 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression. International Journal of Oncology. 2014 Nov; 45 (5): 1820-8.; Frank L. Meyskens, Richard B. Silverman, Sun Yang, et al. Inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase for treatment of melanoma.; Yang, Z, Misner B, Ji H, Poulos TL, Silverman RB, Meyskens FL, Yang S (as corresponding author). Targeting nitric oxide signaling with nNOS inhibitors as a novel strategy for the therapy and prevention of human melanoma. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. 2013 Aug 10; 19(5):433-47.

Dr. Sun Yang

Biography

Research Interests

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications

Faculty Directories by School or College